London is in England, one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. It is a city, not a country, and the capital of both. It stands on the River Thames in south-east Great Britain. About 9 million people live there. The UK left the European Union in 2020, but London is still in Europe.
What country is London in?
London is in England, and England is part of the United Kingdom. The answer has two layers: England first, then the UK.
London at a glance
- Country: England
- Sovereign state: United Kingdom (UK)
- Continent: Europe
- Island: Great Britain
- River: Thames
- Population: 8.945 million in Greater London (mid-2023 estimate)
- Currency: pound sterling (GBP)
- Time zone: GMT in winter, BST (GMT+1) in summer
- Dialling code: +44
- Main airport: Heathrow (LHR)
Where is London on the map?
London is in the south-east corner of Great Britain, the large island off the north-west coast of mainland Europe. It sits at about 51.5 degrees north, about the same latitude as Calgary in Canada.
The River Thames runs through the city from west to east for part of its 215 miles (346 km). The English Channel coast is about 50 miles (80 km) to the south, and France is on the other side.
Paris is about 214 miles (344 km) to the south-east. Our guide to how far London is from Paris has the travel time by each route.
Is London in England, the UK or Great Britain?
London is in all three at once. The three names describe different things, and each one is bigger than the last:
- England is a country. It is the largest of the four countries of the UK, and London is its capital.
- Great Britain is an island. It holds England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland.
- The United Kingdom is the sovereign state, with a seat at the United Nations. It is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland.
The UK has one Parliament and one government for the whole state, and both sit in Westminster in London. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have their own capitals: Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
The state’s full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. “Britain” is the short form most people use for it.
Is London in Europe?
Yes. London is in Europe, because Great Britain is part of the European continent. What changed is membership of the European Union: the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020.
For a visitor, two things follow. The UK is outside the Schengen area, so a Schengen visa does not cover London. You also go through UK passport control, even when you travel from Paris or Amsterdam.
Is London a country, a city or a state?
London is a city. It is not a country, and it is not a state either, because the UK has no states. The UK is divided into four countries, and England is divided into regions and counties.
The name covers two different areas. The City of London is the old financial district, only 1.12 square miles (2.9 km²). Greater London is the whole capital: that small City plus 32 boroughs, 607 square miles (1,572 km²) in all.
The Romans founded the city as Londinium around AD 47, on the north bank of the Thames. It is older than England itself, which became one kingdom in the tenth century.
Which other places are called London?
Several towns in North America took the name. That is one reason the question comes up so often in the United States and Canada:
- London, Ontario is a Canadian city of about 420,000 people, on a river also named the Thames. Its airport code is YXU.
- London, Kentucky is a small city in Laurel County, in the south-east of the state.
- London, Ohio is a small city in Madison County, west of Columbus.
When you book a flight, check the airport code before you pay. The codes for London, England are listed in the next section.
What should you know before you travel to London?
London is usually five hours ahead of New York and eight hours ahead of Los Angeles. A direct flight from New York takes about seven hours going east.
Visitors from the USA and Canada usually need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before they travel. Apply only on the official GOV.UK ETA page.
London is served by six airports:
- Heathrow (LHR): the largest, west of the city. Most flights from North America land here.
- Gatwick (LGW): south of London.
- Stansted (STN): to the north-east.
- Luton (LTN): to the north.
- London City (LCY): inside the city, near Canary Wharf.
- Southend (SEN): to the east.
From the main airports, a driver can meet you in the arrivals hall with a name board. Our London airport transfers by private car are a fixed price for the whole car, agreed before you fly.
For the rest of your stay, you can hire a car with a driver in London by the day. From the city, private day trips from London reach Windsor, Oxford and the Cotswolds.
See London weather by month for temperatures and rain. Our guide to the best time to visit London compares the seasons.
FAQ: what country is London in?
Is London in England or the UK?
Both. London is in England, and England is part of the UK, so neither answer is wrong. Use “United Kingdom” on forms, visas and international post. Use “England” when you mean the country inside the UK, for example when comparing it with Scotland or Wales.
Is London in Great Britain?
Yes. London is in the south-east of the island of Great Britain. The Channel Tunnel links the island to France. It is about 31 miles (50 km) long, and the crossing itself takes around 35 minutes.
What county is London in?
London does not sit inside another county. Greater London is a ceremonial county in its own right, and the small City of London counts as a separate one. Until 1965 Greater London’s outer districts belonged to Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, Essex and Hertfordshire. Those names still appear in some postal addresses.
Is England a country? Is the UK a country?
Both are called countries, in different senses. The UK is the one that signs treaties, issues passports and competes as one team at the Olympics. England has no separate parliament of its own, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved legislatures.
Is London the capital of England or the UK?
London is the capital of both. Parliament, the Prime Minister’s office at 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace are all there. London has been England’s seat of government since the Middle Ages.
What was the capital of England before London?
Winchester, in the south of England, is usually named as the earlier capital. It was the seat of the kings of Wessex and then of the first kings of England. Government moved to London gradually after the Norman Conquest of 1066, with no single agreed date.
What language and currency does London use?
English is the language of signs, transport and business. The currency is the pound sterling, with notes of 5, 10, 20 and 50 pounds. Cards and contactless payment are accepted almost everywhere, so most visitors need very little cash.
What time is it in London compared with the US?
London runs on GMT in winter and moves one hour forward in summer. The clocks change on the last Sunday of March and of October. The US changes on different dates. The gap is an hour smaller for two or three weeks in March and about one week in autumn.
Sources: population from the Greater London Authority summary of ONS mid-year estimates; UK countries and counties from the Office for National Statistics guide to administrative geography; clock changes from GOV.UK. Facts checked on 11 November 2026.