Although commonly thought of as a city, Bristol is also a unitary authority and ceremonial county taking the same boundaries as the city itself. From 1974 to 1996 the county was known as Avon, taking its name from the River Avon which flows through the area. When the county of Avon reached the end of its life in 1996 parts of the land went to the City of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North-East Somerset.

Bristol, the city, is one of Britain’s great historic cities and is regarded as the financial, cultural, commercial and leisure capital of the West Country. Close to the border with Wales, it is home to more than 420,000 people while the wider area has around one million inhabitants.

Bristol’s great heritage had humble beginnings; the tiny Anglo-Saxon settlement of Brigstowe steadily became a thriving port and over the following centuries Bristol became one of England’s principal ports. By the mid-18th century Bristol had become England's second city with goods such as cane sugar, tobacco, rum and cocoa imported via Bristol from the New World, bringing great prosperity to the city.

By the 19th century Bristol's fortunes as a port were declining. The Avon's extreme tides and many bends were not compatible with the new, much larger merchant ships. In 1831, a new chief engineer was appointed at Bristol docks by the name of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Brunel not only redesigned the docks, he also spearheaded the arrival of the Great Western Railway linking Bristol with London. His legacy is still stamped on the city today, icons of the industrial age including the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the SS Great Britain, and Temple Meads Old Station are some of the city's leading tourist attractions.

There is so much to see and do in Bristol, with fascinating attractions, first-rate museums, art galleries, superb shopping facilities, an excellent selection of hotels and a plethora of restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs. Bristol also has a thriving music scene and a diverse and multicultural flavour; the eclectic influences are apparent throughout the city.

There are two major universities in Bristol, the University of Bristol based in the city centre, and the University of the West of England scattered over several regional campuses. The city is one of the UK’s most popular areas for business relocation, with a major focus on media and innovative high-tech industries. Bristol is home to Aardman Animations, the creators of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films.

There are several large businesses in the region, including Rolls Royce and BAE Systems which both have bases in Filton. Concorde, the world's first supersonic passenger airliner, was built at the Filton site, continuing Bristol's tradition of world-class engineering. Nearby Abbey Wood is a purpose-built Ministry of Defence facility, the largest MoD site in the United Kingdom.

Bristol stands in a key position in the west of England. Two motorways – the M4 and M5 – cross each other on the north-western edge of Bristol, placing the county and city at a crossroad to Wales, the north, the south-west and London. The short M32 works its way into the centre of Bristol from the M4. Further, the River Severn, the nation’s longest river passes next to Bristol, snaking its way out of the heart of Wales, into the Bristol Channel and out towards the Atlantic Ocean.