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Kanpur (/ˈkɑːnpʊər/  pronunciation ; also known as Cawnpore) is the largest urban agglomeration in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the second largest industrial city in of the Hindi belt in North India and 10th biggest city in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kanpur Nagar district and Kanpur division and is known as "Leather City" as it contains some of the largest and finest tanneries in the world. Kanpur is one of North India's main commercial and industrial centres.

Kanpur is situated on the bank of the Ganges River and has been an important place in the history of modern India. Kanpur was one of the main centres of the industrial revolution in India. It was known as "Manchester of the East". Towards the end of the 19th century, Sir John Burney Allens established a group of companies such as Kanpur Textiles, Cawnpore Woollen Mills (Lal-imli), Flex Shoes Company, Elgin Mills and North Tannery under the banner of British India Corporation having headquarters at Kanpur. In the beginning of the 20th century, Lala Kamlapat established a group of companies such as; J.K. Cotton Mills and J.K. Iron etc. under the banner of J.K. During the same period Sir J. P. Srivastava established New Victoria Mills.The Jaipuria family bought Swadeshi Cotton Mills from the Horsman family and in 1928 Sardar Inder Singh founded India's First steel re-rolling mill at Singh Engineering which later became one of India's biggest steel rolling mills. British Government also established a number of factories like; Aircraft Manufacturing Depot, Kanpur (Now HAL), Ordnance Factory, Kanpur (Manufactured the Nirbheek Revolver) and Parachute Factory in 1886 to supplement their defence requirements. Today Kanpur comprises Ghari detergent, Red Tape Shoes, Goldie spices, Duncans Industries, innumerous middle-scale industries, Hosiery business (which is the second largest in North India and world-famous leather tanneries, which are more than 350 in number.

It has an area of over 605 km² with an approximate population of 2.5 million inhabitants in its area. It is administratively divided into 6 zones and 110 wards with a ward population range of 19,000 to 26,000. It is the 75th largest city in the world.

Others believe that the name is derived from Karnapur (meaning "town of Karna", one of the heroes of the Mahabharata). Another theory is that it came from the nearby town of Makanpur, earlier known as Khairabad, where the Sufi saint of the Madariya Sufi order, Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar, settled.