Sunderland is in the Tyne and Wear area of northeast England and is a city in the centre of its own metropolitan borough. It has a long history as a port, for trading coal and salt, and was known for shipbuilding.

Despite bombing raids, particularly in the 2nd world war, many great period survivals remain in the city, such as the Holy Triinity Church, built in 1719 and St Peter's Church, part of which dates back to AD674.

Much housing was built after the 2nd world war in large estates such as at Farringdon, Pennywell and Grindon; these estates are all now run privately.

The decline of shipbuilding and of Sunderland as a port also resulted in much regeneration along the River Tyne, such as the North Haven housing and marina development and the student accommodation in Fish Quay.

New build developments include the detached houses in Belford Road, Ashbrooke and in The Leas, Whitburn; the semi-detached houses around Fordfield Road; the apartments around Nile Street and the flats around John Street, among others.

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!