West Midlands Profile

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• Full Region Name
• Area
• Population
• Capital City
• Religions
• Dialling code
• Major political parties
• Geography
• Politics

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Full Region Name:

The West Midlands

Area:

The West Midlands region is situated in the heart of England and covers an area of 12,998 sq. km from Stoke-on-Trent in the north to Hereford and Evesham in the south, from Shrewsbury in the West to Rugby and Burton-on-Trent in the East.

The average population density in 2002 was 400 inhabitants per km², which is well above the UK figure of 240. In the county of West Midlands, the population density reached 2,860 inhabitants per km², one of the highest densities amongst the counties of the United Kingdom.

The West Midlands is one of the most heavily urbanised counties in the UK. Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Solihull together form the largest conurbation in the UK outside London.

Population:

The West Midlands region accounts for a population of 5.266 million (9% of the UK total) with 2,612,000 males (49.1%) and 2,707,900 females (50.9%). Within the age structure of the population, 19.5% are aged 0-14 years, 64.5% aged 15-64 and 16.0% aged over 65.

Approximately 11.3% of the region's total population belong to ethnic minorities. The largest minority ethics groups come at 3,4% from India, 2,9% from Pakistan and 1,6% from the Caribbean. More than half of the region's population live in large conurbation areas, while over 2 million reside in the region's rural counties, which cover three-quarters of the region's area. (Source: National Statistics Online)

Birmingham, England's second largest city and the main population centre in the West Midlands, is second only to the capital in terms of its ethnic diversity. With nearly 200,000 Asian and 60,000 black residents, Birmingham is home to more people from these groups than most entire regions of England (excluding London, only the Yorkshire and The Humber region has more Asian residents, and none has more black residents). (Source: Birmingham City Council)

Capital City:

Birmingham is the regional capital with a population of 984,600 people resident in Birmingham according to the 2001 population census. (Source: Birmingham City Council)

Religions:

Christianity is the main religion in the West Midlands. There were 72.6% Christians in 2001. People with no religion formed the second largest group, comprising 12.3% of the population, a further 4.1% as Muslim, 2% are Sikh, 1.1% as Hindu and 7.9% of the population is made up of other faiths (Jewish, Buddhist, etc.) (Source: National Statistics Online)

Dialling code:

The West Midlands comprises the counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire and the boroughs of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Counties

Herefordshire:
Hereford: 0044 1432

Worcestershire:
Worcester: 0044 1905

Shropshire:
Shrewsbury: 0044 1743

Staffordshire:
Stoke-on-Trent: 0044 1782
Stafford: 0044 1785

Warwickshire:
Warwick: 0044 1926
Stratford-Upon-Avon: 0044 1789

Boroughs

Birmingham: 0044 121

Coventry: 0044 24

Dudley: 0044 1384

Solihull: 0044 121

Walsall: 0044 1922

Wolverhampton: 0044 1902

Major political parties:

The region has 59 MPs: 39 from Labour Party, 16 from Conservative Party, 3 from Liberal Democrats Party and 1 from the Independent Party. (Source: Government Office of the West Midlands)

Geography:

West Midlands is a region at the heart of the UK, and it comprises the counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire and the boroughs of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. (Source: Government Office of the West Midlands)

Each area has its own distinctive landmarks and personality and each offers something different: from the vibrancy of Birmingham, the UK's second largest city, to historic market towns and picturesque rural areas such as the Cotswolds

Politics:

The region has 38 Local Authorities, of which there are 4 Counties, 7 Metropolitan District Authorities, 3 Unitaries and 24 non-Metropolitan districts. (Source: Government Office for the West Midlands)

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