City of Sunderland
Sunderland (/ˈsʌndərlənd/), also known as the City of Sunderland, is a metropolitan borough with city status in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, spanning a far larger area, including nearby towns including Washington, Hetton-le-Hole and Houghton-le-Spring, as well as the surrounding villages and hamlets. The district also forms a large majority of Wearside which includes Chester-le-Street in County Durham.
City of Sunderland | |
|---|---|
Metropolitan borough with city status | |
| Sunderland | |
Sunderland White Lighthouse | |
Sunderland shown within Tyne and Wear | |
| Coordinates: 54.910°N 1.385°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | North East |
| Combined Authority | North East |
| Ceremonial county | Tyne and Wear |
| Historic county | Durham |
| Established as Sunderland Metropolitan Borough | 1 April 1974 |
| City status | 20 May 1992 |
| Admin HQ | Sunderland |
| Government | |
| • Type | Leader and Cabinet |
| • Body | Sunderland City Council |
| • MPs | Bridget Phillipson (L) Sharon Hodgson (L) Julie Elliott (L) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 53 sq mi (137 km2) |
| Population | 274,211 (Ranked 60th) |
| • Density | 5,190/sq mi (2,003/km2) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| Postcode areas | SR, NE, DH |
| Dialling code | 0191 |
| Website | www |
The district was formed in 1974 as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of four former local government districts of County Durham. It was granted city status in 1992, the Ruby Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne. The borough had a population of 275,400 at the time of the 2011 census, with the majority of the population (174,286) residing in Sunderland.