London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom and is located in the southeastern part of the country. London is unquestionably the most important city of the United Kingdom and is also a global city that plays a significant role in the world. The Greater London area consists of 33 total boroughs with a total population of over 7.7. Million people, with a large diversity. The metropolitan area of London expands to a population of over 13 million people. Overall, London ranks as the largest city in Europe. London is a major British and global centre of business, commerce, culture, education, entertainment, politics, sports, transportation and tourism.

London is considered to have the world’s largest financial centre, with business districts in The City, Westminster, Camden & Islington, Canary Wharf, Lambeth & Southwark. These five large business centres have host some of the world’s largest companies operating in skyscrapers that define London’s skyline. The city has very strong industries in banking, media, legal, accounting, finance, design, art, fashion, architecture, real estate, and government. The London Stock Exchange is one of the largest in the world and connects the city’s industries with the rest of the globe. London hosts the headquarters of hundreds of companies including half of the UK's top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest firms. A short list of the some of the large corporations based in London includes media company Reuters, banks HSBC Holdings and Barclays, and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

The economy of London is one of the best in the world, and includes job opportunities in a large variety of areas, both in the public and private sectors. The service industry naturally dominates the city’s economy due to the large urban population in need of many different services. London is one of the world’s most popular cities and consequently tourism is one of the city’s largest industries. There are countless places of interest, landmarks, organizations and events that attract huge crowds to London. There are more than 15 million visitors in London each year, with over 350,000 people working in the tourism industry to guide and accommodate the visitors. London is home to some of the world’s most advanced and largest transportation systems and networks.

London is home to some of the busiest air traffic in the globe and is served by five major international airports. The London Heathrow Airport is the third busiest airport in the world serving more than 55 million passengers a year. Other airports serving the city are London Gatwick, London Luton, London Standsted, and London City, a relatively small airport mainly for business travel. The London Underground is a well known metro system that serves millions of passengers every day, connecting people within London and to other locations in the United Kingdom. It is also known as The Tube, and is the oldest and most expensive metro system in the world.

London has one of the largest bus transportation systems in the world that operates non-stop 24 hours day and serves millions of daily riders. The unique red double-decker buses of London and the black taxi cabs have given the city distinctive international recognition. London is a major global centre of education and has a large, prestigious and advanced system, particularly in higher education specializing in diverse fields. London serves more than 200,000 college/university students, and is the most popular place for international students.

The University of London is the largest university in the United Kingdom and in Europe with more than 130,000 total students. It includes constituent schools such as UCL, King's, Goldsmiths, Queen Mary, London School of Economics, SOAS, the Royal Academy of Music, the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Institute of Education. The Imperial College London and University College London are acclaimed and prestigious with strong programs in science, and together combine to serve more than 30,000 students. The London School of Economics and Political Science is one of the best of its kind and serves about 9,000 students. The Cass Business School is also a prominent school in the field of business and finance.

London is home to numerous excellent schools specializing in the performing arts; Royal College of Music, Royal College of Art, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Other notable schools in London are Brunel University, City University, London Metropolitan University, Middlesex University, University of East London, University of the Arts London, University of Westminster, Kingston University and London South Bank University.

London has a rich and successful sporting heritage in a variety of areas. London has hosted the summer Olympics in 1908 and 1948, and will once again have the privilege in the summer of 2012, with current massive preparations for the event. London is a Football crazed city and has some of the United Kingdom’s and Europe’s best teams. There are thirteen total professional clubs in London, along with dozens of other semi-professional teams. The most notable clubs in London are the domestic and European powerhouses Arsenal F.C. and Chelsea F.C. Other teams who compete in the English Premier League are Fulham F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C., and West Ham United F.C. Overall, there are plenty of football venues scattered around London with seating capacities to accommodate 100,000’s of spectators. The Wembley Stadium is one of the largest in Europe with 90,000 capacity seats and hosts a variety of events in addition to football matches of the national team and domestic cup games.

The London Irish, Saracens, Wasps and Harlequins are professional rugby clubs of London. The Twickenham Stadium is an 82,000 capacity rugby ground. The The Oval and Lord's Cricket Ground are notable cricket venues, with more than 20,000 seating capacity in each.

London hosts The Wimbledon Championships, one of four tennis grand slam tournaments, which are the most prestigious and largest competitions held annually. The event is held at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and attracts 100,000’s of visitors over the duration of two weeks that it’s played.

London is a major cultural centre and is home to hundreds of museums, including the most prominent ones of Natural History, Museum Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and British Museum.

London is known as one of the music capitals of the world for producing international superstars and hosting major events and organizations. There are numerous venues and organizations to meet classic musical tastes including Barbican Arts Centre (principal base of the London Symphony Orchestra), Cadogan Hall (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) and the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Promenade Concerts and the city’s two main opera houses of Royal Opera House and the Coliseum Theatre. The Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Trinity College of Music are notable conservatories in the London. Modern music lovers can enjoy events at the The O2 arena (20,000 capacity) and The Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Additionally, the large records labels EMI and Decca Records have headquarters in London.

London has a large and world renowned theatre district known as the West End theatre. There are over 10 million spectators a year who enjoy London’s theatres.