City of London London borough, a status reserved for the other 32 districts (including London's only other city, the City of Westminster). It is also a separate county of England, being an enclave surrounded by Greater London. It is the smallest county in the United Kingdom. The City of London is widely referred to simply as the City (differentiated from the phrase "the city of London" by capitalising "City") and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile, as it is in area. Both of these terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's trading and financial services industries, which
History of London History of London The history of London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, extends over 2000 years. In that time, it has become one of the world's most significant financial and cultural capital cities. It has withstood plague, devastating fire, civil war, aerial bombardment, terrorist attacks, and riots. The City of London, often referred to simply as "the City", is the historic core of the Greater London area, and is today its primary financial district, though it represents only a small part of the wider metropolis. According to the legendary "Historia Regum Britanniae", by Geoffrey of Monmouth,