North West England

North West region shown within England
Geography
Status	Region
Area — Total	Ranked 6th 14,165 km² 5,469 sq mi
NUTS 1	UKD
Demographics
Population — Total — Density	Ranked 3rd 6,853,200 (2006) 475/km²
GVA per capita	£17,433 (6th)
Government
Admin HQ	St Helens
Leadership	North West Regional Leaders Board
Regional development	Northwest
European parliament	North West England
Website

England

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of England

Governance Sovereign Elizabeth II Governance of England West Lothian question Devolution proposals English Regions Local Authority Leaders' Board Regions of England East Midlands East of England London North East North West South East South West West Midlands Yorkshire and the Humber Law and justice Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Courts of England & Wales English Law England in the UK Parliament of the United Kingdom Elections Constituencies England in the EU European Parliament Elections European Parliament constituency East of England East Midlands London North East England North West England South East England South West England West Midlands Yorkshire and the Humber Subdivisions Local government in England Greater London Greater London Authority London boroughs Counties Districts Metropolitan counties Metropolitan districts Unitary authorities Civil Parishes

Other countries · Atlas Politics portal view talk edit

North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England. The region comprises five ceremonial counties of England – Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Cheshire. The North West had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201^[1] the third most populated region after London and the South East.

North West England is bounded to the east by the Peak District and the Pennines and to the west by the Irish Sea. The region extends from the Scottish Borders in the north to the northern margins of the English Midlands in the south. To its south west is North Wales. Amongst the better known of the North West's physiographical features are the Lake District and the Cheshire Plain. The highest point in North West England (and the highest peak in England) is Scafell Pike, Cumbria, at a height of 3,209 feet (978 m).

A mix of rural and urban landscape, two large conurbations, centred on Liverpool and Manchester, occupy much of the south of the region. The north of the region, comprising Cumbria and northern Lancashire, is largely rural, as is the far south which encompasses parts of the Cheshire Plain and Peak District.

Local government[link]

The official region consists of the following subdivisions:

Map	Ceremonial county	County/Unitary	Metropolitan/non-metropolitan districts
	Cheshire	1. Cheshire East U.A.
		2. Cheshire West and Chester U.A.
		3. Halton U.A.
		4. Warrington U.A.
	5. Cumbria †		a) Barrow-in-Furness, b) South Lakeland, c) Copeland, d) Allerdale, e) Eden, f) Carlisle
	6. Greater Manchester *		a) Bolton, b) Bury, c) Manchester, d) Oldham, e) Rochdale, f) Salford, g) Stockport, h) Tameside, i) Trafford, j) Wigan
	Lancashire	7. Lancashire †	a) West Lancashire, b) Chorley, c) South Ribble, d) Fylde, e) Preston, f) Wyre, g) Lancaster, h) Ribble Valley, i) Pendle, j) Burnley, k) Rossendale, l) Hyndburn
		8. Blackpool U.A.
		9. Blackburn with Darwen U.A.
	10. Merseyside *		a) Knowsley, b) Liverpool, c) St. Helens, d) Sefton, e) Wirral

Key: †shire county | *metropolitan county

After abolition of the Greater Manchester and Merseyside County Councils in 1986, power was transferred to the Metropolitan Boroughs, effectively making them Unitary Authorities. In April 2011, Greater Manchester gained a top-tier administrative body in the form of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which means the 10 Greater Manchester Boroughs are once again second-tier authorities.

Demographics[link]

Population, density and settlements[link]

Source: Office for National Statistics Mid Year Population Estimates^[2]