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Manchester is situated in the south-central part of North West England, fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south and the Pennines to the north and east. The recorded history of Manchester began with the civilian vicus associated with the Roman fort of Mamucium, which was established c. 79 AD on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell. Historically, most of the city was a part of Lancashire, although areas south of the River Mersey were in Cheshire. Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a manorial township, but began expanding "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century as part of a process of unplanned urbanisation brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. The urbanisation of Manchester largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian era, resulting in it becoming the world's first industrialised city. As the result of an early-19th century factory building boom, Manchester was transformed from a township into a major mill town, borough and was granted city status in 1853. In 1894 the Manchester Ship Canal was built creating the Port of Manchester. Manchester was the site of the world's first railway station, hosted the first meeting of the Trades Union Congress and is where scientists first split the atom and developed the first programmable computer. The city is notable for its music scene and its sporting connections. Manchester's sports clubs include two Premier League football teams, Manchester City and Manchester United, currently FA Cup holders and Premier League champions respectively. Manchester has two universities, including the largest single-site university in the United Kingdom, and has one of the country's largest urban economies. Manchester is also the third-most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors, after London and Edinburgh, and the most visited in England outside London. |