Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside county, in the Northwest region of England, on the east side of the Mersey River estuary in the United Kingdom. It limits to the north with the metropolitan municipality of Sefton, to the east with the one of Knowsley, to the south and west with the mentioned river. It was founded as a village in 1207 and had that status until 1880, when it received the title of city. According to the last official census, dating from 2001, Liverpool had a population of 439 473 inhabitants, this figure increases slightly to 454 654 inhabitants according to estimates for the year 2009.
The city is located in the center of the Liverpool Metropolitan Area, whose population amounts to 816 216 inhabitants. Historically belonging to the county of Lancashire, the urbanization and expansion of Liverpool was due in large part to its status as an important port city. In the eighteenth century, trade with the West Indies, with continental Europe and the slave trade in the Atlantic promoted the economic expansion of the city. At the beginning of the 19th century, 40% of the world's maritime trade passed through the Liverpool docks. At the moment it is the second port of the United Kingdom in volume of exports after London. The popularity of The Beatles and the football team Liverpool Football Club help to make Liverpool a tourist destination. Tourism plays a significant role in the economy of the city.
In 2007 it celebrated its 800th anniversary, and the following year it was European Capital of Culture next to the Norwegian city of Stavanger. In 2004, several areas along the center of the city were declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Known as the "Merchant City of Liverpool", the place comprises six separate locations in the city, including "Pier Head","Albert Dock" and "William Brown Street". It includes most of the most famous points of interest in the city.