Sunderland is a historic port city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, situated at the mouth of the River Wear and serving as the second-most populous settlement in North East England. Its origins lie in three Anglo-Saxon settlements, notably Monkwearmouth, where St Peter's Church was founded in 674 as part of the influential Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey, a significant centre of learning.
The city historically thrived on industries like coal, salt, and famously, shipbuilding, earning the moniker "the largest shipbuilding town in the world" and once producing a quarter of all ships globally. Following the decline of these traditional industries in the late 20th century, Sunderland successfully transitioned into a major automotive manufacturing hub. Granted city status in 1992, its locals are sometimes known as 'Mackems', a term that gained common use in the 1970s.