Manchester, city in northwestern England, administrative center of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, on the Irwell, Medlock, Irk, and Tib rivers. Manchester is a major industrial center and has long been known as the leading cotton textile manufacturing city in Britain. It is also an important English port, connected by the Manchester Ship Canal (completed 1894) to Eastham on the Mersey River and accessible to oceangoing vessels. The city's diversified manufactures include paper products, pharmaceuticals, electrical and aircraft equipment, computers, electronic equipment, and food products. Manchester lies near a coal-mining region.
Educational institutions in the city include the large Victoria University of Manchester (1903), Royal Northern College of Music (1923), and Manchester Metropolitan University (1992, formerly a polytechnic college). A noted cultural center, Manchester is the home of the extensive John Rylands University Library collection; the renowned Hallé Orchestra (1857); and the Manchester City Art Galleries (1823), which include museums of archaeology and natural history, and science and technology. Manchester is also the seat of a bishopric of the Anglican church, and its cathedral dates from the 15th century.
