London, south-east of Britain, is the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom. Long time the capital of the British Empire, it is henceforth the political center and the seat of the Commonwealth.
Founded almost 2000 years ago by the Romans under the name Londinium, London in the nineteenth century was the most populous city in the world. Now widely exceeded by many megacities, it remains a city of the first rank, because of its reach and its considerable economic power, mainly due to its status as the first global financial center.