Liverpool (/ˈlɪvərpuːl/) is a city in Merseyside, England, on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. A borough from 1207 and a city from 1880, in 2011 the city proper had a population of 466,415 and a metropolitan area population of 2,241,000. The city is within the historic county of Lancashire. Its urbanisation and expansion were largely brought about by its status as a major port, which included its participation in the Atlantic slave trade.