London is the European capital home to the Palace of Westminster and the clock tower commonly called Big Ben.
London stands on the River Thames and is the capital of the United Kingdom. The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the UK Parliament, while the tower beside it is officially the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.
Big Ben properly refers to the Great Bell inside the tower, not the tower itself. The bell first rang in 1859. The palace complex was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style after a fire destroyed much of the old building in 1834.
London is sometimes confused with the capital of England only; it is both England’s capital and the capital of the United Kingdom. The city’s historic centre developed around Roman Londinium, founded near the Thames almost two millennia ago.