Southampton is a waterfront city in southern England, about 75 miles south of central London. It is one of 13 districts of Hampshire, the fifth most populous county in England with over 1.7 million residents. Southampton is the largest city in Hampshire with a population of over 225,000 people. The city is bisected by River Test and River Itchen, which join with the River Hamble on the city’s south side and connects to the waters of the English Channel.

A maritime economy has naturally developed due to Southmapton’s waterfront location. The docks have always been a major employer in the city and today Southampton is home to a sizable operation of cruise ships. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch operate from the coast of the city. The Ocean Village is a recent development that features a marina, luxury apartments and other entertainment venues. The port at Southampton also yields significant economic activity. The city is well connected to Cunard Line, a British ship operator.

Other notable companies operating in Southampton are the mapping agency Ordnance Survey and Ford automobiles.

The retail industry in Southampton is concentrated in the newly built WestQuay, a shopping centre with about 100 shops located in the city centre.

The The Mayflower is the largest theatre in Southampton with over 2,000 seating capacity and hosts West End theatre shows. Additionally, the city is well known for having a large array of bars and clubs and a great entertainment scene that has produced international stars R&B singer Craig David and Colplay drummer William "Will" Champion.

Southampton has historic venues such as The Maritime Museum, Solent Sky, and Tudor House. The city is also home to some of the oldest standing walls in England.

Local media operations in Southampton are Southern Daily Echo newspaper based in Redbridge and BBC South, based in the city centre.

The professional Southampton Football Club competes in the Football League Championship (second tier of English Football) and play at the newly built St Mary’s Stadium, which has a 32,500 seating capacity. The city is home to plenty of watersports such as yachting and also hosts the Southampton Boat Show.

Major higher education schools in the city are University of Southampton and Southampton Solent University, which combine to serve more than 40,000 students and employ thousands of staff members.

The Southampton Central railway station is the main station serving the city, with connections to London. There are other smaller stations scattered around the city and its surroundings. The Southampton Airport serves nearly two million passengers a year and has international flights to Europe. There is an extensive public bus system in Southampton provided by First Southampton and Bluestar. Other operators include Brijan Tours, Stagecoach, Velvet and Wilts & Dorset and Uni-link. There is a ferry system that serves the city and travels to destinations such as the nearby Isle of Wight.