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England’s capital city of London as well as the United Kingdom is also the largest. The population of London, according to the 2021 census was 8,799,800, more than 16% of the entire population of the country. Situated on the River Thames. It is culturally a very diverse city with more than 300 languages spoken there.

In 43 AD, the Romans founded a settlement called Londinium on the same spot as modern day London. Londinium was soon a major commercial centre and port throughout centuries between then and Rome’s withdrawal from Britain as the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century.

During the city’s heyday, its population was more than 55,000, and they found themselves under siege by the Scots, Picts, Francs and Saxons. In 410 AD, with the Roman Empire itself in freefall, the last of the Roman guard withdrew from Britain.

For much of the next 400 years, London went through a series of occupiers and attackers, including Essex, Mercia, Wessex the Vikings. The Anglo-Saxons restored the settlement in 886 AD while Alfred the Great, King of Wessex was at the helm.

Edgar II surrendered to William the Conqueror in 1070, William reigned there until he died in 1086.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the population of the City dropped drastically due to the fact that people were leaving to live in the suburbs. The City suffered during most of World War II as Germany conducted a years-long bombing campaign known as the Blitz. London alone suffered 71 raids as 18,291 tons of bombs were dropped on the city.

Today, London is home to the headquarters of the Bank of England and a major financial centre, having been declared second to New York City in 2022’s Global Financial Centres Index.

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