London has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1908 and 1948. In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in 2012, making it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times London was also the host of the British Empire Games in 1934.
The most popular spectator sport in London is football, and London has several of England's leading football clubs. Two of the UK's biggest - and Chelsea - are in London, as are several other famous clubs, such as Tottenham Hotspur, Charlton Athletic, Fulham and West Ham United.
Wembley Stadium (which is currently being rebuilt) has traditionally been the home of the English national football team, and serves as the venue for the FA Cupfinal, as well as rugby league's Challenge Cup final. Twickenham Stadium in west London is the national rugby union stadium, and three Guinness Premiership sides (London Irish, Saracens and Wasps) all originate from London, although they are now all based just outside Greater London.
Two Test cricket grounds are located in London: Lord's, home of Middlesex, in St John's Wood, and The Oval, home of Surrey, in Kennington. The well-known Wimbledon Tennis Championships are also held at the London hosts the annual London Marathon, one of the largest mass-participation marathons in the world, and the Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race.

London is one of the "big four" fashion capitals (alongside Paris, New York City and Milan) and is home to some of the finest haute couture in the world. Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Stella McCartney are all famous London designers. London Fashion Week takes place twice a year.
Some of the world's most renowned department stores are based in London including Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. The Knightsbridge district and the Mayfair district (which includes Bond Street) are home to many exclusive designer stores and boutiques. The famous street markets of London, that shot to fame in the 1960s are also well known and include Carnaby Street, Notting Hill and Camden Town. Traditionally the elite men's tailors of London were centred around Savile Row and several high profile English fashion designers of today (such as Alexander McQueen) spent their early days in its service.

London has the largest student population of any British city, although not the highest per capita. It is home to a diverse number of universities, colleges and schools, and is a leading centre of research and development.
With 125,000 students, the University of London is the largest contact teaching university in the United Kingdom and in Europe. It comprises over 50 colleges and institutes with a high degree of autonomy. Constituent colleges have their own admissions procedures, and are effectively universities in their own right, although all degrees are awarded by the University of London rather than the individual colleges. Its most prestigious colleges are King's, LSE, Imperial and UCL; while smaller member institutes include the School of Oriental and African Studies, Queen Mary, the Institute of Education, and Birkbeck College, which specialises in part time and mature students.
There are other universities, such as UeL, the University of Westminster and London South Bank University, not part of the University of London, some of which were polytechnics until UK polytechnics were granted university status in 1992, and others which were founded much earlier.

Greater London covers an area of 609 square miles (1,579 km²). Its primary geographical feature is the Thames, a navigable river which crosses the city from the southwest to the east. The Thames Valley is a floodplain surrounded by gently rolling hills such as Parliament Hill and Primrose Hill. These hills presented no significant obstacle to the growth of London from its origins as a port on the north side of the river, and therefore London is roughly circular.
The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river with extensive marshlands. It has been extensively embanked, and many of its London tributaries now flow underground. The Thames is a tidal river, and London is vulnerable to flooding. The threat has increased over time due to a slow but continuous rise in high water level by the slow 'tilting' of Britain (up in the north and down in the south) caused by post-glacial rebound. The Thames Barrier was constructed across the Thames at Woolwich in the 1970s to deal with this threat, but a more substantial barrier further downstream may be necessary in the near-future.
London has a temperate climate with regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year. Snow is uncommon, particularly because heat from the urban area can make London 5°C hotter than the surroundings.

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous city in the European Union.
London is one of the world's major business, political and cultural centres. It is a leader in international finance,politics, education, culture, communications, entertainment, fashion and the arts and has considerable influence worldwide. It is widely regarded as one of the world's major global cities, and has been an important settlement for nearly 2000 years.
London has an estimated population of 7.5 million (as of 2005) and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. London has an extremely cosmopolitan population, drawing from a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions, speaking over 300 different languages .Residents of London are referred to as Londoners.
The city is an international transport hub and a major tourist destination, counting iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace amongst its many attractions, along with famous institutions such as the British Museum and the National Gallery.