Manchester is located in northwestern England. It has status of a city and is one of ten metropolitan boroughs Greater Manchester, the third most populous county in England with over 2.5 million people. The city of Manchester has a population of over 450,000 residents and is the fifth largest city in England.

Since the Industrial Revolution Manchester has been a major commercial centre of England and continues to have one the strongest economies in the United Kingdom.
The central business district of the city is located at the Manchester city centre, a dense urban area full of stores, restaurants, clubs and other interesting places. The city centre is home the Manchester Arndale, one of the largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom with over 200 stores. The city centre is also home to the Spinningfields, a large mutli purpose complex for business, retail and residence. Some other notable shopping centres in Manchester city centre are The Triangle and Royale Exchange Centre.

The Manchester city centre is home to a vibrant nightlife, with hundreds of clubs, pubs, bars and restaurants that attract over 100,000 visitors on the weekends.

Manchester has one of the strongest business centres in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The city has activity from 65 of the 100 FTSE (index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange) companies. Dozens of these diverse and large companies are based in Manchester.

The skyline of Manchester is full of skyscrapers. The tallest building in the city is the residential/hotel Beetham Tower, which is 169 metres and has 47 floors. The second tallest building is the office-use CIS tower, which is 118 metres and has 25 floors.

Manchester has a well developed transportation network to serve the millions of people of the city and the Greater Manchester area. Manchester Airport offers international flights and is one of the busiest in the United Kingdom, handling over 22 million passengers a year. The Manchester Piccadilly station is the main railway station located in the city centres. The station is one of the busiest in England, serving more than 14 million passengers a year to intercity destinations such as Glasgow and London. The Manchester Victoria station is the second main railway station of the city and also provides intercity service. Manchester Metrolink is a tram system operating in the city, and serves over 50,000 passengers daily. Manchester has an extensive bus transportation system with operators such as First, Stagecoach, Finglands, Arriva, which pass through the Manchester Piccadilly Bus Station.

The city is home to two major higher education institutions. The The University of Manchester is the largest single-site university in the United Kingdom with nearly 40,000 students and over 10,000 employed staff members. Manchester Metropolitan University is the fifth largest university in the UK serving over 30,000 students .

The dominant sport in Manchester is Football, with two teams competing in the English Premier League. Manchester City F.C. play at the 47,750 capacity City Of Manchester Stadium. Manchester United F.C. is one of the most successful clubs in England and Europe, having won numerous domestic and international honors. The club is based at the 76,500 capacity stadium Old Trafford, in the neighboring borough of Trafford. Additionally, the Greater Manchester area is home to several other professional football clubs including premier league teams Bolton F.C and Wigan A.F.C, and lower division teams of Stockport, Olham, Bury and Rochdale.

Manchester is home to major media operations including Granada Television, the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England, and one of the three main bases of the BBC. Major newspapers operating in the city are Manchester Evening News and The Guardian. Manchester has a large number of large local radio stations including BBC Radio Manchester, Key 103, Galaxy, Piccadilly Magic 1152, 105.4 Century FM, 100.4 Smooth FM, Capital Gold 1458, 96.2 The Revolution and Xfm.

Manchester is a rich cultural centre and is home to multiple points of interests and organizations. Major art galleries in the city are Manchester Art Gallery, Cornerhouse
Castlefield Gallery, Cube Gallery, Chinese Arts Centre. Notable museums in the city include Pankhurst Centre, Manchester Jewish Museum, People’s History Museum, Manchester Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Greater Manchester Police Museum. Manchester is home to the symphonic orchestras of The Halle and BBC Philharmonic, and the Bridgewater Hall is a major concert venue. Some other notable venues include Opera House and Palace Theatre. The Manchester Evening News Arena is a major multi-purpose venue that hosts events ranging from concerts to sports such as boxing and basketball. It is one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe with a capacity up to 22,000 people.