Manchester is the commercial, financial, educational and cultural capital of the UK's largest economic region outside London. At the centre of the industrial revolution in the 19th century Manchester flourished through its dominance of the cotton industry. The opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 gave the city an inland port capable of handling a huge volume of raw materials and commodities imported from all over the world. This major role in international trade has been maintained to the present day.

Manchester is the regional capital of North West England with a population within the city administrative area of 432,000. The Manchester Metropolitan area has a population of 2.59 million and a gross domestic product of 22.774 billion ECU.

The city is overwhelmingly a service centre with nearly 75% of its employment being in the service sector and 25% in manufacturing. Significant industrial sectors included chemicals, pharmaceuticals, computing and telecommunications, precision engineering and aerospace. However the biggest single sector is business services, and within that category banking, finance and insurance

Manchester has good transport to and from the city which has an international airport, two mainline rail stations, an extensive motorway system and an inland seaport. Manchester's international profile has been boosted immeasurably over recent years especially with the decision to host the Commonwealth Games here in 2002. A modern tram system, Metrolink, facilitates travel within the city as well as connecting the north with the south. There is also a good cycleway system. Canals, once used to transport goods is now used mainly for recreation.

Recent investment has resulted in the creation of a new international concert hall and significant sporting venues including an indoor sports arena facility and the UK's new National Cycling Centre in a purpose-built state-of-the-art velodrome at Eastlands.

The huge inner city area of Hulme is being totally reshaped in a programme of housing and economic renewal.

The University of Manchester, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), the Manchester Metropolitan University and Salford University all have international reputations for research across a wide range of fields while the National Computing Centre, headquartered in Manchester has a number of world wide collaborations. The largest Medical and Bio-Sciences School in the UK is located here, generating leading research partnerships with comapanies in the area.

The Economic Initiatives Group of Manchester City Council co-ordinates the Economic Development Services of the City Council. This includes the Economic Development Strategy and a wide range of Information and Advice Services.

For further information on the work of the Economic Initiatives Group contact Dave Carter Return to Home Page