Nestled on the banks of the eternal Ganga, Kanpur stands as one of North India’s major industrial centers with its own historical, religious and commercial importance. Formerly known as Manchester of the country & is now also called the commercial capital of the state.

It has an area of over 1600 km² and had a population of around 4.13 million in the 2001 census. Owing to its industrial importance one of the Reserve Bank of India was established in the city. Kanpur is home to several most prestigious educational institutions of the country, including one of the Indian Institutes of Technology, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI), CSJM University, University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chandrashekhar Azad Agricultural University, and GSVM Medical College.

Kanpur is well-connected with most other cities of India by Rail and Roads. It lies as one of the most important railway stations on Delhi-Howrah Trunk Line of Indian Railways. The first Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express of India ran via this station. There are direct trains from this station to almost all important stations in India.

The city lies on important National Highways. NH No.2, the oldest road of India, Grand Trunk Road - between Amritsar (legend says - Kabul before partition) to Kolkata (legend again says - Dhaka before partition) - runs right through this city. NH No 25. connects the city to western Indian cities like Mumbai through Jhansi.