Greater London is the region and ceremonial county that covers the capital of the United Kingdom. It spans 1,572 km2 (607 sq mi) and had 8,804,769 residents at the 2021 census. That makes it the most populous county in England by a wide margin.
It is divided into 33 local government districts. The 32 London boroughs together form the ceremonial county of Greater London; the City of London is a ceremonial county of its own. The Greater London Authority, with an elected Mayor and a 25-member London Assembly, handles transport, policing and planning across the whole area.
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Region and ceremonial county |
| Area | 1,572 km2 (607 sq mi) |
| Population (2021 census) | 8,804,769 |
| Density | About 5,600 people per km2 |
| Districts | 32 London boroughs plus the City of London |
| Created | 1 April 1965, by the London Government Act 1963 |
| Strategic authority | Greater London Authority (Mayor and London Assembly) |
| Highest point | Westerham Heights, Bromley, 245 m (804 ft) |
| Postcode areas | E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC, plus BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW, UB and WD |
Towns and Districts in Greater London
London absorbed hundreds of villages and market towns as it grew, and their names survive as the districts people still use for addresses, stations and postcodes. Gazetteers list well over a thousand named places inside the boundary, most of them suburbs of one another.
The list below gives 164 of the best known, grouped by the borough that administers each one. Boundaries do not always match everyday usage: several district names straddle two boroughs.
Barking and Dagenham
- Barking
- Becontree
- Chadwell Heath
- Dagenham
- Rush Green
Barnet
- Chipping Barnet
- Edgware
- Finchley
- Golders Green
- Hendon
- Mill Hill
Bexley
- Bexleyheath
- Crayford
- Erith
- Sidcup
- Welling
Brent
- Harlesden
- Kilburn
- Kingsbury
- Wembley
- Willesden
Bromley
- Beckenham
- Biggin Hill
- Bromley
- Chislehurst
- Orpington
- Penge
Camden
- Bloomsbury
- Camden Town
- Hampstead
- Kentish Town
- Swiss Cottage
City of London
- Barbican
- City of London
Croydon
- Addiscombe
- Coulsdon
- Croydon
- Norbury
- Purley
Ealing
- Acton
- Ealing
- Greenford
- Hanwell
- Southall
Enfield
- Edmonton
- Enfield Town
- Palmers Green
- Ponders End
- Southgate
Greenwich
- Blackheath
- Charlton
- Eltham
- Greenwich
- Woolwich
Hackney
- Clapton
- Dalston
- Hackney
- Shoreditch
- Stoke Newington
Hammersmith and Fulham
- Fulham
- Hammersmith
- Shepherd’s Bush
- White City
Haringey
- Crouch End
- Hornsey
- Muswell Hill
- Tottenham
- Wood Green
Harrow
- Harrow
- Pinner
- Rayners Lane
- Stanmore
- Wealdstone
Havering
- Collier Row
- Hornchurch
- Rainham
- Romford
- Upminster
Hillingdon
- Hayes
- Northwood
- Ruislip
- Uxbridge
- West Drayton
Hounslow
- Brentford
- Chiswick
- Feltham
- Hounslow
- Isleworth
Islington
- Archway
- Clerkenwell
- Finsbury Park
- Highbury
- Islington
Kensington and Chelsea
- Chelsea
- Earl’s Court
- Kensington
- Notting Hill
Kingston upon Thames
- Chessington
- Kingston upon Thames
- New Malden
- Surbiton
- Tolworth
Lambeth
- Brixton
- Clapham
- Streatham
- Vauxhall
- West Norwood
Lewisham
- Catford
- Deptford
- Forest Hill
- Lewisham
- Sydenham
Merton
- Colliers Wood
- Mitcham
- Morden
- Raynes Park
- Wimbledon
Newham
- Beckton
- Canning Town
- East Ham
- Stratford
- West Ham
Redbridge
- Barkingside
- Ilford
- South Woodford
- Wanstead
- Woodford
Richmond upon Thames
- Barnes
- Hampton
- Kew
- Richmond
- Teddington
- Twickenham
Southwark
- Bermondsey
- Camberwell
- Dulwich
- Peckham
- Rotherhithe
Sutton
- Carshalton
- Cheam
- Sutton
- Wallington
- Worcester Park
Tower Hamlets
- Bethnal Green
- Bow
- Canary Wharf
- Poplar
- Whitechapel
Waltham Forest
- Chingford
- Highams Park
- Leyton
- Leytonstone
- Walthamstow
Wandsworth
- Balham
- Battersea
- Putney
- Tooting
- Wandsworth
Westminster
- Marylebone
- Mayfair
- Paddington
- Pimlico
- Soho
- Westminster
Geography
Greater London sits in the Thames basin, roughly 40 miles across from Upminster in the east to Heathrow in the west. It borders Hertfordshire to the north, Essex to the north-east, Kent to the south-east, Surrey to the south, and Berkshire and Buckinghamshire to the west.
The Thames runs west to east through the middle and is tidal as far as Teddington Lock. Its London tributaries include the Lea, the Brent, the Wandle, the Ravensbourne and the Roding, many of them now partly culverted.
Low hills ring the centre: Hampstead and Highgate to the north, Shooter’s Hill and Crystal Palace to the south. The highest ground is Westerham Heights on the North Downs in Bromley, at 245 m. Roughly half the region is green space. A green belt drawn in the 1930s and 1940s still holds the built-up area inside its present boundary.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 8,804,769 residents, including 8,583 in the City of London. That is close to one in six people in England, on about one per cent of its land.
The outer boroughs are the largest: Barnet, Croydon, Newham, Ealing and Bromley each hold more than 330,000 people. Kensington and Chelsea and the City of London are the smallest.
London is the most diverse part of the United Kingdom. At the 2021 census about 37 per cent of residents were born outside the UK, and more than 300 languages are spoken in its schools. The population is also younger than the national average, with a median age around 35.
Economy and Local Life
London produces roughly a quarter of the UK’s economic output. Financial and professional services cluster in the City of London and Canary Wharf. Media, advertising and technology sit in the West End, Shoreditch and King’s Cross.
Government, higher education and health are large employers in their own right, with more than 40 universities and higher education institutions in the region. Tourism supports Westminster, Southwark and Camden, drawing on the British Museum, the Tower of London, the South Bank and the West End theatres.
Street markets remain part of daily life. Borough sells food, Columbia Road flowers on Sundays, Portobello Road antiques on Saturdays, and Billingsgate fish from the small hours.
History
The Romans founded Londinium around AD 47 at the first practical bridging point on the Thames. The square mile they walled is still the City of London, which kept its own government through every later reorganisation.
Westminster grew separately around the abbey and royal palace, and the two joined as the built-up area spread. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed most of the medieval City. The Metropolitan Board of Works from 1855 and the County of London from 1889 were the first attempts at London-wide government.
Greater London was created by the London Government Act 1963 and came into force on 1 April 1965. It absorbed the County of London, all of Middlesex, and parts of Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. The Greater London Council ran it from 1965 until abolition in 1986; the Greater London Authority replaced it in 2000.
Getting There
Six airports serve London: Heathrow and London City inside the boundary, and Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Southend outside it. Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe by passenger numbers.
Fourteen mainline terminals fan out to the rest of Britain, among them King’s Cross, Euston, Paddington, Waterloo and Liverpool Street. St Pancras International carries Eurostar trains to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Inside the region, Transport for London runs the Underground’s 11 lines and 272 stations. It also runs the Elizabeth line, the Overground, the Docklands Light Railway, Croydon’s trams and the buses. The M25 orbital motorway circles the region, with the M1, M4, M11, M40, M3 and M20 radiating from it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Greater London?
8,804,769 at the 2021 census, including 8,583 people in the City of London.
How many boroughs are there in London?
Thirty-two London boroughs, plus the City of London, which is not a borough. That makes 33 local government districts in total.
Is the City of London part of Greater London?
It sits inside the Greater London region and is run by the City of London Corporation. For ceremonial purposes it is a county in its own right.
How many towns and villages are in London?
Gazetteers list more than a thousand named places inside the boundary. Almost all are now districts of the built-up area rather than separate settlements.
What happened to Middlesex?
Middlesex was abolished as an administrative county in 1965 and almost all of it became part of Greater London. The name survives in addresses, cricket and institutions.
What are the postcodes for London?
The eight London postcode areas are E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W and WC. Outer districts use BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW, UB and WD.