The City of Kingston upon Hull is a unitary authority (and city) in the North East of England on the banks of the River Humber at the mouth of the Humber Estuary and has a population of 256,000. The land mass of 27 sq miles makes it one of the smallest in the UK.

Hull is one of the cities in the UK which suffered most from the decline in heavy industry in the late 20^th century with £300 million worth of regeneration planned to replace declining industries such as whaling, agriculture, oil refineries, manufacturing and trading. Companies such as BP, Smith & Nephew (medical supplies), Seven Seas and Reckitt Benckiser all still retain factories in the area while Prospect Quay has dozens of large stores.

Hull was famous for its involvement in whaling before the decline in Whale stocks and a subsequent ban, until the mid 19^th century Hull was one of the main whaling ports in Europe after which time local fishermen concentrated on deep sea fishing. The changes to legislation and policy led to a decline in the fortunes of Hull and its population dropped from 350,000 during WW2 to its present levels.

The University of Hull has over 16,000 students and was founded in 1927; notable graduates are poet Philip Larkin, mathematician John Venn and film director Anthony Minghella. Hull also is home to the Hull York Medical School