<P> The county of Greater London was created on 1 April 1965 through the London Government Act 1963 . Administratively, Greater London was first established as a sui generis council area under the Greater London Council between 1963 and 1986 . The area was re-established as a region in 1994, and the Greater London Authority formed in 2000 . </P> <P> The region covers 1,572 km (607 sq mi) and had a population of 8,174,000 at the 2011 census . The Greater London county covers the same territory as the London region, save for the City of London which is a separate county . In 2012, it had the highest GVA per capita in the United Kingdom at £ 37,232 . The Greater London Built - up Area--used in some national statistics--is a measure of the continuous urban area of London, and therefore includes areas outside the administrative region . </P> <P> The term Greater London has been and still is used to describe different areas in governance, statistics, history and common parlance . </P> <P> In terms of ceremonial counties, London is divided into the small City of London and the much wider Greater London . This arrangement has come about because as the area of London grew and absorbed neighbouring settlements, a series of administrative reforms did not amalgamate the City of London with the surrounding metropolitan area, and its unique political structure was retained . Outside the limited boundaries of the City, a variety of arrangements has governed the wider area since 1855, culminating in the creation of the Greater London administrative area in 1965 . </P>

Distance from one side of london to the other