Sunderland is a city in the Tyne and Wear region of northern England. Landmarks include the Echo 24 apartment building, the Sunderland Marina and The Bridges shopping centre. Sunderland has its own university - the University of Sunderland - and a prominent football team - Sunderland Football Club - whose ground is at the Stadium of Light.

There are many attractions here, such as the National Glass Centre in Liberty Way, which has many contemporary exhibitions, and the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, which has an excellent local history and botanical collection.

Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county which came into existence in 1974. It is made up from 5 metropolitan boroughs; South Tyneside, North Tyneside, City of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and the City of Sunderland. Adjacent counties include Northumberland and County Durham. Prior to 1974, the county's area straddled the River Tyne, with the north side in Northumberland and south side in Durham.

The most populated area in the county is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, which used to be synonymous with shipbuilding. Among many places of interest in the county are; Antony Gormley's famous 'Angel of the North' statue and the Beamish Museum, both in Gateshead; Hadrian's Wall, Jesmond Dene park, The Biscuit Factory and the Laing Art Gallery, all in Newcastle; Segedunum Roman Fort & Museum, Wallsend and St Mary's Island bird reserve, all in North Tyneside and the Museum and Winter Gardens in Sunderland.

There are 2 motorways in the county, the A1(M) and A194(M) and numerous trunk roads. The main transport hub is Newcastle, which offers fast, direct railway services to London King's Cross (duration around 3 hours) and many other major conurbations.

Coal was discovered in the area in 1234 and Newcastle became the first coal port in the world. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Gateshead is the first rotating bridge ever built in the world. Italian Revolutionary Guiseppe Garibaldi lived on Tyneside for a few months on his way to foment the Italian irredentist movement. He lived in Tynemouth and Blaydon, and the garibaldi biscuit was invented by local bakers to commemorate his stay!