Wast Midlands (coonty)

	Coonty
	;
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Constituent kintra	Ingland
Region	Wast Midlands
Oreegin	1974; (Local Govrenment Act 1972)
Ceremonial coonty
Area	[convert: needs a number]
• Rankit	o 48
• Rankit	o 48
Density	[convert: needs a number]
Ethnicity	76.5% White; 13.3% S. Asian; 4.9% Black British; 2.3% Mixed; 3% Other
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC)
• Simmer (DST)	Breetish Simmer Time (UTC+1)

The Wast Midlands (Inglis: West Midlands) is a metropolitan coonty in wastren central Ingland wi a 2009 estimatit population o 2,638,700. It came intae existence as a metropolitan coonty in 1974 efter the passage o the Local Govrenment Act 1972, formed frae pairts o Staffordshire, Worcestershire an Warwickshire. The coonty itsel is a NUTS 2 region athin the wider NUTS 1 region o the same name. The county conseests o seiven metropolitan boroughs: the City of Birmingham, the City of Coventry an the City of Wolverhampton, plus Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull an Walsall. The Wast Midlands Coonty Cooncil wis abolished on 31 Mairch 1986, an sae its destricts (the metropolitan boroughs) are nou effectively unitary authorities. Houesomeivver, the metropolitan coonty continues tae exist in law an as a geographic frame o reference.

The coonty is whiles describit as the "Wast Midlands metropolitan aurie" or the "Wast Midlands conurbation", awtho thir hae different, an less clearly defined, bundaries. The main conurbation, or urban aurie, daes no include Coventry for example. The name "Wast Midlands" is an aa uised for the hintle lairger Wast Midlands region, which whiles causes confusion.

Geografie

Cairt o Wast Midlands, showin urban auries in grey an metropolitan destrict bundaries

The Wast Midlands is a landlockit coonty that borders the coonties o Warwickshire tae the east, Worcestershire tae the sooth, an Staffordshire tae the north an wast.

The West Midlands Coonty is ane o the maist hivily urbanised coonties in the UK. Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country an Solihull thegither form the maist muckle conurbation in the Unitit Kinrick ootside Lunnon, wi a combined population o aroond 2.27 million. Housomeibver, the Wast Midlands is no entirely urban; Coventry is separatit frae the Wast Midlands conurbation bi a stretch o green belt land roughly 15 mile (24 km) athort, kent as the "Meriden Gap", which retains a strangly rural character. A smawer piece o green belt atween Birmingham, Walsall an Wast Bromwich includes Barr Beacon an the Sandwell Valley.

The heichest pynt in the Wast Midlands is Turners Hill, wi a heicht o 271 m (889 ft). The hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Barr Beacon is anither hill in the Wast Midlands, locatit on the border o Birmingham an Walsall, wi a heicht o 227 m (745 ft).

Thare are 23 Steids o Special Scientific Interest in the coonty. Ane o thir SSSIs is Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield, which haes an aurie o 970 hectares (2,400 acres). As a result, it is ane o the lairgest urban pairks in Europe, an the lairgest ootside o a caipital ceety in Europe. The pairk an aa haes National Nature Reserve status.

Thare are numerous rivers that pass throu the coonty, includin the River Tame. The river basin is the maist urbanised basin in the Unitit Kinrick, wi approximately 42% o the basin bein urbanised. The River Tame is fed bi the River Rea, River Anker, an the River Blythe, which in turn is fed bi the River Cole. The River Sowe an River Sherbourne baith flow throu Coventry. The River Stour flows throu the wast o the Wast Midlands coonty.

Touns an ceeties

* = ceety

Sport

The Wast Midlands is hame tae numerous sports teams. In fitbaa, thare are sax Fitbaa League teams in the coonty o which fower, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers an West Bromwich Albion, play in the Premiership. Aston Villa, Wast Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City an Walsall are aften referred tae as the Wast Midlands "big sax".

The Wast Midlands is an aa hame tae Warwickshire County Cricket Club, who are based at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, which an aa hosts Test matches an One Day Internationals. The Birmingham Panthers basketbaw team replaced the Birmingham Bullets an are currently based at a facility providit bi the Varsity o Wolverhampton in Walsall. In rugby union, the Wast Midlands is hame tae Moseley Rugby Football Club, Birmingham & Solihull RFC, Dudley Kingswinford RFC, Stourbridge RFC, Walsall RFC an Coventry RFC.

Freemit airtins

Photographs o Birmingham an the Wast Midlands Archived 2005-01-14 at the Wayback Machine
Identity in the Wast Midlands Archived 2005-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
Wast Midlands Joint Committee Archived 2006-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
Wast Midlands (coonty) at Curlie