Peterborough (UK city)

City in eastern England, on the River Nene, 64 km/40 mi northeast of Northampton, and from April 1998 administrative headquarters of Peterborough unitary authority; population (2001) 136,100. Situated on the edge of the Fens in the centre of an agricultural area, it is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. Industries include sugar-beet refining, foodstuffs, aluminium founding and manufacturing, agricultural machinery, engineering, brick-making, diesel engines, and refrigerators. It has an advanced electronics industry. It is noted for its 12th-century cathedral. Nearby Flag Fen disclosed in 1985 a well-preserved Bronze Age settlement of 660 BC. The 17th-century Thorpe Hall is a cultural and leisure centre.

The plans for Hampton Township (formerly known as Peterborough Southern Township), the largest town in Europe built by the private sector, threatened the world's largest colony of great crested newts in old clay pits. Work has begun on the town, and the first people moved in in 1997.