Sunderland ( (listen)) is a port city in Northern England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre, within the Metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, the Historic County of Durham, and the North East Combined Authority area. The city is 10 miles (16 km) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on the River Wear's mouth to the North Sea, the river also flows through Durham city roughly 12 miles (19 km) south-west of the city's centre.

Locals from the city are sometimes known as Mackems. The term originated as recently as the early 1980s, its use and acceptance by residents, particularly among the older generations, is not universal. At one time, ships built on the Wear were called "Jamies", in contrast with those from the Tyne, which were known as "Geordies", although in the case of "Jamie" it is not known whether this was ever extended to people.There were three original settlements by the River's mouth which are part of the modern-day city: Monkwearmouth settled in 674 on the river's north bank with King Ecgfrith of Northumbria land granting to Benedict Biscop to found a monastery which, together with Jarrow monastery, later formed the dual Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey; Sunderland settled in 685 and Bishopwearmouth founded in 930, the later two are on the Wear's southern bank. The second settlement on the wear's mouth grew as a fishing settlement and later as a port, being granted a town charter in 1179. The town started to trade coal and salt with ships starting to be built on the river in the 14th century. By the 19th century, with a population increase due to shipbuilding, port and docks the town absorbed the other two settlements. Following decline of its traditional industries in the late 20th century, the area became a automotive building centre, science-and-technology and the service sector. In 1992, the borough of Sunderland was granted city status.

Monkwearmouth Colliery (or Wearmouth Colliery) was a major North Sea coal mine located on the north bank of the River Wear, located in Sunderland. It was the largest mine in Sunderland and one of the most important in County Durham in northeast England. First opened in 1835 and in spite of the many accidents at the pit, the mine was the last to remain operating in the County Durham Coalfield. The last shift left the pit on 10 December 1993, ending over 80 years of commercial coal mining in the region. The Colliery site was cleared soon afterwards, and the Stadium of Light, the stadium of Sunderland A.F.C., was built over it, opening in July 1997 to replace nearby Roker Park.