Wearside ( /ˈwɪər/) is an area of north east England, centred on the continuous urban area formed by Sunderland, Seaham and other settlements by the River Wear. Mackems is a nickname used for the people of Wearside.
The principal part of Wearside is the City of Sunderland, including Washington, Houghton-le-Spring, Shiney Row and in the south, Ryhope and Hetton-le-Hole. Additional settlements sometimes considered to be part of Wearside are Easington and Seaham. The ONS definition of the area has a population around 200,000 and only includes Sunderland and Whitburn with a number of settlements in the City of Sunderland such as Washington and Houghton-le-Spring being included as part of Tyneside.The local government district named the 'City of Sunderland' has a higher population of 280,807.