Bristol is located in southwestern England along the Avon River, which connects to the Bristol Channel. Bristol has status of a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county. With a city population of over 400,000 people, Bristol is the sixth largest city in England and the ninth largest in the United Kingdom. The urban population of the city expands to over half a million people.

Bristol has been home to a major aircraft/aerospace industry since the early 20th century and produced warplanes during the world wars. Current companies operating in the city are Rolls-Royce plc, Cameron Balloons (largest hot-air balloon company in the world) , BAE Systems plc, and Airbus S.A.S.

The Port of Bristol has been an important segment in the city’s economy for decades and dealt with major trades in various industries.

Bristol is home to a large high tech industry, with hundreds of computer companies specializing in micro electronics and silicon designs, including Hewlett-Packard.

Bristol Cars (based in nearby Filton) are Luxury cars which are hand-built and sold exclusively in limited numbers.

Imperial Tobacco is the world’s fourth largest international tobacco company, with headquarters operating from Bristol.

Bristol has a large retail industry. The Mall along Cribbs Causeway has over 100 stores and two floors. The largest shopping centre in the city is the newly built Cabot Circus, which has 140 stores and four floors.

Bristol is home to two professional football clubs. Bristol City F.C. compete in the Football League Championship(second tier of English Football) and play at 21,500 capacity stadium Ashton Gate. Bristol Rovers F.C. compete in Football League One(third tier of English Football) and play at 12,000 capacity stadium Memorial Stadium. Other sports teams include Bristol Rugby, and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

Media production in Bristol includes newspapers Western Daily Press; the Bristol Evening Post; Bristol Observer; Metro newspaper. Local Magazines include listings magazine and Venue. All of these productions are owned by one of Europe’s largest media companies Daily Mail and General Trust plc.

The Bristol International Airport is the ninth busiest in the United Kingdom serving nearly 6 million passengers a year. Two major railways stations serve the city; Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads, which connects to the airport.

Bristol is home to multiple higher education facilities and is a major center for education in southwest England. University of Bristol and University of the West of England
Each have over 20,000 students. Further Education colleges include Filton College
and City of Bristol College, which serves over 40,000 students.

Notable cultural landmarks in Bristol include Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol Old Vic(theatre) and Ashton Court, which hosts Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.