Ranked number one in the world among cities demonstrating the strongest economic clout by PwC’s 2016 Cities of Opportunity Index, London serves as the capital for not only England, but also the larger sovereign state known as the United Kingdom, Great Britain or simply Britain.
London’s economic power is consistently underpinned by the fact that 28 of Fortune Global 500 companies have their headquarters located in the British capital. Those global firms include petroleum refiner BP, financial services giant HSBC Holdings and mining behemoth Rio Tinto Group.
The United Kingdom exported US$445 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2017. Highest-value UK exports are automobiles, gold, medicines, turbojets and petroleum oils according to the International Trade Centre.
For researchers, one frequent stumbling point is that London is not strictly considered a city due to the fact that the governing Crown has not granted London city status.
Capital Facts for London, UK: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Tower of London (with its Crown Jewels), Big Ben and Westminster Abbey
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in London, England
- Adele, singer-songwriter (born May 5, 1988)
- Hugh Grant, actor (born Sep. 9, 1960)
- David Bowie, singer-songwriter & actor (born Jan.8, 1947)
- Elizabeth Taylor, actress (born Feb. 27, 1932)
- Cat Stevens, singer-songwriter (born Jul. 21, 1948 )
- Emily Blunt, actress (born Feb.23, 1983 )
- Kiefer Sutherland, actor, director & producer (born Dec. 21, 1966 )
- Sharon Osbourne, host & media personality (born Oct. 9, 1952 )
- Cressida Cowell, writer (born Apr. 15, 1966)
- Lord Snowden, royalty (born Mar. 7, 1930)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
People
Demonym for a resident of London: Londoner
Population: 8,100 (City of London)
Density: 7,232 people per square mile (2,792 per square kilometer)
Population: 10,350,000 (Greater London Urban Area)
Density: 15,425 people per square mile (5,956 per square kilometer)
Population: 14,620,400 (London Commuter Belt)
Density: 4,518 people per square mile (1,744 per square kilometer)
Population: 64,430,428 (United Kingdom)
Density: 690 people per square mile (266 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$929.3 billion in 2014 (London metropolitan area)
GDP per person: $63,564
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in London: pound sterling (£)
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data). Accessed on November 20, 2016
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Europe: United Kingdom. Accessed on January 29, 2017
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas. Accessed on November 20, 2016
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition. Accessed on November 20, 2016
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition. Accessed on November 20, 2016
Fortune, 2015 Global 500. Accessed on January 29, 2017
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on January 29, 2017
Official Government Website, Mayor of London. Accessed on November 20, 2016
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), 2016 Cities of Opportunity Report. Accessed on January 29, 2017
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas – Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on November 20, 2016
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags. Accessed on January 29, 2017
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, City of London. Accessed on January 29, 2017
Wikipedia, Greater London. Accessed on January 29, 2017
Wikipedia, London. Accessed on January 29, 2017
Wikipedia, London commuter belt. Accessed on January 29, 2017
Wikipedia, United Kingdom. Accessed on January 29, 2017
London is not to be confused as a synonym for the City of London–a much smaller city and county within London. The City of London has an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 square kilometers) and is home to roughly 8,100 people.
In contrast, the Greater London Urban Area is comprised of London’s continuous urban area plus adjacent urban towns as defined by the UK’s Office for National Statistics. Alternatively called the Greater London Built-up Area, about 10.4 million people reside in the Greater London Urban Area occupying 671 square miles (1,737.9 square kilometers).
A synonym for the London metropolitan area is the London commuter belt, named because London’s metropolitan area conjoins London with the surrounding geographic zone from which it is practical to commute to work in London. The London metropolitan area contains 3,236 square miles (8,382 square kilometers) and has almost 15 million inhabitants.
Population density within London city limits averages an estimated 7,200 inhabitants per square mile (2,800 per square kilometer).
Density for the Greater London Urban Area is more intense averaging 15,400 people per square mile (6,000 per square kilometer).
Over the larger London Commuter Belt, population density is an average 4,500 persons per square mile (1,750 per square kilometer).
For the United Kingdom overall, national population density drops to an average 690 residents per square mile (266 per square kilometer).