Manchester (/ˈmæntʃɪstər/) is a city, and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England, with a population of 514,417 in 2013. It lies within the United Kingdom's second most populous urban area, with a population of 2.55 million, and third-most populous metropolitan area. Manchester is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east and an arc of towns with which it forms a continuous conurbation. The local authority is Manchester City Council.