

There is an ε n > 0 such that if an n-dimensional Riemannian manifold has a metric with sectional curvature | K| ≤ ε n and diameter ≤ 1 then its finite cover is diffeomorphic to a nil manifold. Given constants C, D and V, there are only finitely many (up to diffeomorphism) compact n-dimensional Riemannian manifolds with sectional curvature | K| ≤ C, diameter ≤ D and volume ≥ V. If M is a simply connected compact n-dimensional Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature strictly pinched between 1/4 and 1 then M is diffeomorphic to a sphere. In all of the following theorems we assume some local behavior of the space (usually formulated using curvature assumption) to derive some information about the global structure of the space, including either some information on the topological type of the manifold or on the behavior of points at "sufficiently large" distances. They state that every Riemannian manifold can be isometrically embedded in a Euclidean space R n. This theorem has a generalization to any compact even-dimensional Riemannian manifold, see generalized Gauss-Bonnet theorem.

Riemannian geometry was first put forward in generality by Bernhard Riemann in the 19th century. It enabled the formulation of Einstein's general theory of relativity, made profound impact on group theory and representation theory, as well as analysis, and spurred the development of algebraic and differential topology. Development of Riemannian geometry resulted in synthesis of diverse results concerning the geometry of surfaces and the behavior of geodesics on them, with techniques that can be applied to the study of differentiable manifolds of higher dimensions. It is a very broad and abstract generalization of the differential geometry of surfaces in R 3. Riemannian geometry originated with the vision of Bernhard Riemann expressed in his inaugural lecture " Ueber die Hypothesen, welche der Geometrie zu Grunde liegen" ("On the Hypotheses on which Geometry is Based").

From those, some other global quantities can be derived by integrating local contributions. This gives, in particular, local notions of angle, length of curves, surface area and volume.

Riemannian geometry is the branch of differential geometry that studies Riemannian manifolds, defined as smooth manifolds with a Riemannian metric (an inner product on the tangent space at each point that varies smoothly from point to point).
