Sunderland

Sunderland
City and metropolitan borough
Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge (left) and Wearmouth Bridge (right) Stadium of Light University of Sunderland Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens Roker Pier Lighthouse
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Latin: Nil Desperandum Auspice Deo, lit. 'do not despair, have faith in God'
Sunderland shown within Tyne and Wear
Coordinates: 54°54′22″N 1°22′52″W / 54.906°N 1.381°W / 54.906; -1.381
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	North East
Ceremonial county	Tyne and Wear
City region	North East
Founded	674 AD
City status	1992
Metropolitan borough	1 April 1974
Administrative HQ	City Hall, Sunderland
Government [1]
• Type	Metropolitan borough
• Body	Sunderland City Council
• Executive	Leader and cabinet
• Control	Labour
• Leader	Michael Mordey (L)
• Mayor	Allison Chisnall
• MPs	3 MPs Julie Elliott (L) Sharon Hodgson (L) Bridget Phillipson (L)
Area [2]
• Total	53 sq mi (137 km2)
• Rank	172nd
Population  (2022)[3]
• Total	277,354
• Rank	60th
• Density	5,230/sq mi (2,018/km2)
Demonym	Mackem (colloq.)
Ethnicity (2021) [4]
• Ethnic groups	List 94.6% White 3.0% Asian 1.0% Black 0.9% Mixed 0.5% other
Religion (2021) [4]
• Religion	List 53.2% Christianity 39.5% no religion 1.8% Islam 0.3% Sikhism 0.2% Hinduism 0.2% Buddhism 0.0% Judaism 0.3% other 4.5% not stated
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode area	SR1-6 SR9 SR43 NE37-38 DH4-5
Dialling code	0191
ISO 3166 code	GB-SND
GSS code	E08000024
Website	sunderland.gov.uk

Sunderland (/ˈsʌndərlənd/ ^ⓘ) is a port city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most populous settlement in the Wearside conurbation and the second most populous settlement in North East England after Newcastle.^[5]

Sunderland was once known as 'the largest shipbuilding town in the world' and once made a quarter of all of the world's ships from its famous yards, which date back to 1346 on the River Wear.^{[citation needed]}

The centre of the modern city is an amalgamation of three settlements founded in the Anglo-Saxon era: Monkwearmouth, on the north bank of the Wear, and Sunderland and Bishopwearmouth on the south bank. Monkwearmouth contains St Peter's Church, which was founded in 674 and formed part of Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey, a significant centre of learning in the seventh and eighth centuries. Sunderland was a fishing settlement and later a port, being granted a town charter in 1179. The city traded in coal and salt, also developing shipbuilding industry in the fourteenth century and glassmaking industry in the seventeenth century. Following the decline of its traditional industries in the late 20th century, the area became an automotive building centre. In 1992, the borough of Sunderland was granted city status. Sunderland is historically part of County Durham, being incorporated to the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear in 1974.

Locals are sometimes known as Mackems, a term which came into common use in the 1970s. Its use and acceptance by residents, particularly among the older generations, is not universal.^[6][7] The term is also applied to the Sunderland dialect, which shares similarities with the other North East England dialects.