Blame the British Empire. They didn’t just invent the steam engine and the cucumber sandwich; they also had a terrible habit of naming every new settlement after home. They were basically global real estate agents with bad branding. “Boring town just out of sight? Let’s call it London! It’ll sell!”
But the fun doesn’t stop at the big British export. The United States alone boasts a staggering 14 Londons by official count. There’s a London, Ohio, a London, Kentucky, and even a London, California (population: a few thousand, mostly farmers). It’s like a game of Where’s Waldo, but Waldo is wearing a bowler hat and holding a cup of tea.
The Champion: London, Ontario (The Almost-Original)
Let’s give a round of applause to London, Ontario, Canada. With over 400,000 people, it’s the second-largest London in the world. They have a Thames River, a Covent Garden Market, and even a replica of a famous British castle. It’s basically the spiritual cousin that moved abroad and got a much better housing market.
And they lean into it. They have a Big Ben-like clock tower, though it’s not actually Big Ben. It’s like the discount-Big Ben, but charming. You could argue it’s the most British place outside of Britain, except the original.
Still, if you visit, don’t ask for directions to Buckingham Palace. You’ll get sent to a suburban Starbucks.
London England World Map Latitude
The Weirdest London: Kiribati’s London
Now we get to the weird one. There is a London on the island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island), which is part of the nation of Kiribati. It’s in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, closer to Hawaii than to England. How did that happen? A British explorer named Captain James Cook showed up, took one look at the coconut trees, and said, “Right, that’s London.” It’s the ultimate “Well, we’re here, might as well” naming convention.
Population? About 1,900. They don’t have a tube system. They do have a lot of crabs.
