West Midlands (region)
{{infobox England region | name = West Midlands| short_name = West Midlands |hq =
Birmingham |imagename = image:EnglandWestMidlands.png |status =
Region |area_km2= 13,004 |area_rank= 7th |density = 405/km² |nuts= UKG |euro=
West Midlands |population = 5,267,337 (2001) |population_rank= 5th |assembly =
West Midlands |election = non-directly elected |url = http://www.wmra.gov.uk/ |The
West Midlands is an official
Region of England, covering the western half of the
Midlands.
The region contains the
large conurbation surrounding
Birmingham at its centre. But also covers some predominantly rural
shire counties such as
Herefordshire,
Shropshire and
Warwickshire.
There is some confusion in the use of the term "West Midlands", as the name is also used for the much smaller
West Midlands county, and is still used by various organisations within that area such as
West Midlands Police and
West Midlands Fire Service.
The West Midlands Region is sometimes considered to spread as far as
Cheshire,
Gloucestershire and
Oxfordshire, but these are not part of the official region.
The highest point in the region is
Black Mountain, at 703 metres.
The official
region consists of the following subdivisions:
| Districts |
|---|
| Herefordshire |
| Shropshire | Shropshire † | Bridgnorth, Bridgnorth, North Shropshire, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Atcham, South Shropshire |
| Telford and Wrekin |
| Staffordshire | Staffordshire † | Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Tamworth, |
| Stoke-on-Trent |
| Warwickshire † | North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick |
| West Midlands * | Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton, |
| Worcestershire † | Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Worcester, Wychavon, Wyre Forest |
Key:
shire county = † |
metropolitan county = *
*
Advantage West Midlands - Regional Development Agency*
Government Office for the West Midlands*
West Midlands Regional Assembly*
Government's list of councils in the West Midlands
