The principal settlements of South Yorkshire are: * Sheffield, an industrial city known for steel and cutlery - England's fourth city and the only one in South Yorkshire; * Doncaster, an old Roman town known for railways and horse racing; * Rotherham, an industrial town bordering Sheffield on the River Don; * Barnsley, a market town on the River Dearne, the former administrative centre of the metropolitan county.
The settlements in South Yorkshire have grown up around the industries of mining and steel manufacturing. The main mining industry was coal which was concentrated to the north and east of the county. There were also iron deposits which were mined in the area. The rivers running off the pennines to the west of the county supported the steel industry that is concentrated in the city of Sheffield. The proximity of the iron and coal also made this an ideal place for steel manufacture.
As one of the least prosperous areas in Western Europe, South Yorkshire has been targeted for funding from the European Regional Development Fund. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of South Yorkshire at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
Agriculture
Industry
Services
1995
10,453
67
3,690
6,696
2000
13,187
53
4,181
8,954
2003
15,799
57
4,772
10,971
includes hunting and forestry
includes energy and construction
includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
