In the western central region of England lies West Midlands County. The metropolitan county is amongst the most urbanised across the UK and the cities of Birmingham, Solihull, Wolverhampton and the Black Country collectively form the most populous conurbation in the UK after London having 2.27 million people. The entire county has around 2.6 million people making it the second largest county in population size.
The West Midlands is split into seven metropolitan borough districts, each of which in now a unitary authority after the county council was abolished. The county lies within the larger West Midlands region.
Business in the West Midlands
The West Midlands has a long history of industry and commerce. Cities like Birmingham and Wolverhampton played an important role in metal-work industries while before that in medieval times Coventry was a centre for the cloth and wool manufacturing business. Iron ore and coal deposits were found in the Black Country and soon, during the industrial revolution, the whole region would be at the forefront of trade, Birmingham being nicknamed the 'workshop of the world'.
The West Midlands still remains a major area for big businesses, particularly in the West Midlands conurbation area. Among the many major companies that are based there are: National Express, H. Samuel, Jaguar Cars, Thomson Holidays, Dunlop Tyres, Dolland & Aitchison and Hampson Industries besides many more.
The media also has an important position in the county. Birmingham is the base for the BBC in the West Midlands region. ITV Central also broadcasts from Birmingham for the entire Midlands region.
Attractions
There are many interesting places for visitors to see in the West Midlands. Some of the famous sites include the Black Country Living Museum, an open-air museum in Dudley which contains many historic buildings from local towns and cities relocated to this area. Some of the displays include coal mine buildings and replicas of early 20th century shops. Trams and even a boat trip can be used as transport between different locations in the 26 acre museum.
Also in Dudley is Dudley Castle, initially an 8th Century building and now open to the public. Within Dudley Castle grounds is a zoo which was first opened in 1937 and now has over a thousand animals among which are lions, tigers, giraffes and wallabies.
For a little fun and excitement, just outside of Birmingham city centre is the Grand Prix Karting circuit. The outdoor circuit is almost a kilometre in length and one of the most popular karting tracks in the UK. As well as being open for company and public group visits, British Kart Racing Champion Nathan Freke also runs some of his classes at the location.
