The capital city of England and the United Kingdom, London is one of the world's great cities. Located on the River Thames, there's been a major settlement in London for more than 2,000 years.

World's most visited city

One of the world's gems, London is a leader in arts, commerce, education, fashion, finance, health care, media, tourism and transportation. It has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world. It is home to almost 8 million people. A great city for visitors The world's most visited city in 2011, London was the host of the successful 2012 summer Olympic Games -- the first city to hold the modern games three times. Tourists flock to the city's four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London, Kew Gardens, the area around the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey, and the historic settlement of Greenwich where the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian. Other famous sites: British Museum, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Tate Modern, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square.