LONDON

.London is the largest urban area and the capital of England and United Kingdom.

An important settlement for two millennia, London's history goes back to its founding by the Romans.

Since its settlement, London has been part of many important movements and phenomena throughout history, such as the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival.

The city's core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited medieval boundaries; but since at least the 19th century the name "London" has also referred to the whole metropolis which has developed around it

Today the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region of England and the Greater London administrative area,

with its own elected mayor and assembly.

London is one of the world's leading business, financial, and cultural centres and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts all contribute to its status as a major global city.

London boasts four World Heritage Sites: The Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church; the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and its popularity has increased over the years due to economic growth.

London's diverse population draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city.

As of 2006, it has an official population of 7,512,400 within the boundaries of Greater London and is the most populous municipality in the European Union.

As of 2001, the Greater London Urban Area has a population of 8,278,251

and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 and 14 million London will be hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics.EtymologyMain article:

Etymology of LondonThe etymology of London remains a mystery.

The earliest etymological explanation can be attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae.

The name is described as originating from King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud.

This was slurred into Kaerludein and finally London. Few modern sources support this theory.

Many other theories have been advanced over the centuries, mostly deriving it from Welsh or British, but occasionally from Anglo-Saxon or even Hebrew.In 1998, Richard Coates, a linguistics professor, criticised these suggestions, and proposed that the name derives from the pre-Celtic *plowonida, which roughly means "a river too wide to ford".

He suggested that the Thames running through London was given this name, and the inhabitants added the suffix -on or -onjon to their settlement.

Proto-Indo-European *p was regularly lost in proto-Celtic, and through linguistic change, the name developed from Plowonidonjon to Lundonjon, then contracted to Lundein or Lundyn, Latinised to Londinium, and finally borrowed by the Anglo-Saxons as Lundene.

Although there is some evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans in AD as Londinium, following the Roman conquest of Britain.

This Londinium lasted for just seventeen years. Around 61, the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed this first London, burning it to the ground.

The next, heavily-planned incarnation of the city prospered and superseded Colchester as the capital of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its height in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of around 60,000. The city started a slow decline in the 3rd century because of trouble in the Roman Empire, and by the 5th century the city was largely abandonedBy the 600s, the Anglo-Saxons had created a new settlement called Lundenwic approximately 1,000 yards (0.9 km) upstream from the old Roman city, around what is now Covent Garden.

It is likely that there was a harbour at the mouth of the River Fleet for fishing and trading, and this trading grew until the city was overcome by the Vikings and forced to relocate the city back to the location of the Roman Londinium to use its walls for protection.

Viking attacks continued to increase around the rest of South East England, until 886 when Alfred the Great recaptured London and made peace with the Danish leader, Guthrum.

The original Saxon city of Lundenwic became Ealdwic ("old city"), a name surviving to the present day as Aldwych, which is in the modern City of Westminster.Subsequently, under the control of various English kings, London once again prospered as an international trading centre and political arena. However, Viking raids began again in the late 10th century, and reached a head in 1013 when they besieged the city under Danish King Canute and forced English King Ethelred the Unready to flee.

In a retaliatory attack, Ethelred's army achieved victory by pulling down London Bridge with the Danish garrison on top, and English control was re-established.Canute took control of the English throne in 1017, controlling the city and country until 1042, when his death resulted in a reversion to Anglo-Saxon control under his pious stepson Edward the Confessor, who re-founded Westminster Abbey and the adjacent Palace of Westminster By this time, London had become the largest and most prosperous city in England, although the official seat of government was still at WinchesThe City of London (corresponding closely to the area of Roman London) together with Westminster, comprised the core of the built-up area in early mediaeval times.Following a victory at the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror, the then Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England in the newly-finished Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.

William granted the citizens of London special privileges, while building a castle in the south-east corner of the city to keep them under control. This castle was expanded by later kings and is now known as the Tower of London, serving first as a royal residence and later as a prison.

In 1097, William II began the building of Westminster Hall, close by the abbey of the same name. The hall proved the basis of a new Palace of Westminster, the prime royal residence throughout the Middle Ages.

Westminster became the seat of the royal court and government (persisting until the present day), while its distinct neighbour, the City of London, was a centre of trade and commerce and flourished under its own unique administration, the Corporation of London. Eventually, the adjacent cities grew together and formed the basis of modern central London, superseding Winchester as capital of England in the 12th century.

London grew in wealth and population during the Middle Ages. In 1100 its population was around 18,000, by 1300 it had grown to nearly 100,000.

However disaster struck during the Black Death in the mid-14th century, when London lost nearly a third of its population.

Apart from the invasion of London during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381,

London remained relatively untouched by the various civil wars during the Middle Ages, such as the first and second Barons' Wars and the Wars of the Roses.After the successful defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, political stability in England allowed London to grow further.

In 1603, James VI of Scotland came to the throne of England, essentially uniting the two countries. His enactment of harsh anti-Catholic laws made him unpopular, and an assassination attempt was made on 5 November 1605—the well-known Gunpowder Plot.

Plague caused extensive problems for London in the early 17th century, culminating in the Great Plague in 1665–1666.

This was the last major outbreak in England, possibly thanks to the disastrous fire of 1666 The Great Fire of London broke out in the original City and quickly swept through London's wooden buildings, destroying large swathes of the city.

A first hand narrative of both plague and fire was provided by Sir Samuel Pepys.

Rebuilding took over ten years, largely under direction of a Commission appointed by King Charles II and chaired by Sir Christopher Wren