London is the ( 1 ) ... of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . It ranks as one of the world's oldest and ( 2 ) historic cities . London traces its history back nearly 2,000 years . Over the years , it became the ( 3 ) .......... of Britain's once - enormous overseas empire ( 4 ) .......... the home of many of the world's greatest artists , poets , scientists , and statesmen . a historic one . It 8.2 million people . London is a large , lively city as well ( 5 ) one of the largest ( 6 ) ........ in the world , with ( 7 ) ......... London's banks , insurance companies , and shipping firms do business in almost ( 8 ) country . Few other cities have so ( 9 ) outstanding museums and art galleries or offer such a wide variety of plays and ( 10 ) ........... entertainment .