Manchester

Manchester (pop. 434,600), city in northwest England, on the Irwell, Irk, and Medlock rivers. Located about 35 mi (56 km) off England's western coast, it is connected to the Irish Sea by the Mersey River and a canal and serves as a major inland port. The city is also a center for trade and finance and is an important industrial area, the products of which include computers, chemicals, clothing, and industrial machinery. The city began as a village established around A.D. 700 on the site of what had been a Roman fort. By the 19th century, it had become an important industrial center and one of the world's major producers of cotton textiles.

See also: England.