The Regions of England

England has nine administrative regions formerly referred to as the Government Office Regions (GORs). From 1994-2011, these regions performed devolved functions of the government. The regions are necessary for statistical and administrative purposes and are purposely used to define regions for elections to the European Parliament.

9. North East

The North East region is one of the nine regions of England that covers Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, and the Tees Valley. The North East region has three large conurbations namely Wearside, Tyneside, and Teesside. This region has three cities that include Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sunderland, and Durham. Newcastle is the largest city in the area. The region had a population of 2,597,000 people as per the records of the 2011 census. Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Darlington, and Gateshead are the other main settlement areas. The coastline of this region is known for its natural beauty as it hosts the Northumberland National Park and sections of the Pennines.

8. East Midlands

The East Midlands is among the nine regions of England that consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland. This region covered an area of 15,627 km2 and had a population of over 4.5 million people as per the data according to the 2011 census. The East Midlands has four major urban centers which are Leicester, Derby, Northampton, and Nottingham. Other notable centers include Boston, Mansfield, Chesterfield, Lincoln, Kettering, Hinckley, and Corby among others. The principal airport in the region is East Midlands Airport located in an area about 20 km from Derby.

7. Yorkshire and the Humber

Yorkshire and the Humbler region comprise the Yorkshire including the West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the shire county, East Riding of Yorkshire, and the City of York. As of the 2011 census, the region of Yorkshire and the Humbler had a population of 5,284,000. This region has seven cities which include Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Kingston upon Hull, York, Ripon, and Wakefield. Major towns in the Yorkshire and the Humbler are Doncaster, Barnsley, Huddersfield, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, and Halifax. This region is also home for Scammonden Dam which is the highest dam in the United Kingdom. The area of Yorkshire and the Humbler is well known for its brass bands.

6. South West

The South West region is the largest region among the nine regions in an area covering a total of 23,800 km2. This region is home for various counties including Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Cornwall, Somerset, and Devon. According to the 2011 census, South West region had a population of 5,288,935. This region is historically known for its cultural and traditional customs. The South Westregion has the longest coastline in England.

5. West Midlands

The West Midlands region covers the area traditionally referred to as Midlands. This region is the home for Birmingham which is Britain's second most populated city. Other famous cities are Wolverhampton and Coventry. The large towns in this area are West Bromwich, Dudley, Solihull, and Walsall. River Severn which is the longest river in the United Kingdom traverses this region. The West Midlands region has five areas of outstanding natural beauty which are the Cannock Chase, Malvern Hills, Shropshire Hills, Wye Valley, and Cotswold. This region had a population of 5,601,857 as of the 2011 census and a population density of 430/km2.

4. East of England

The East of England is among the nine regions of England created in 1994. The region has counties including Bedfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk. East of England region had a population of 5,847,000 during the 2011 census with Essex being the most populous county. The region’s famous towns include Ipswich, Colchester, Norwich, Southend-on-Sea, Luton, Bedford, Basildon, Peterborough, Cambridge, and Chelmsford. The East of England contains areas that were formerly known as the East Anglia. This region is well known to be one of the driest parts of the United Kingdom as it receives rainfall averaging between 450 mm and 750 mm.

3. North West

The North West region had a population of 7,052,000 as per the 2011 census and was the third most populous region in the UK. This region accounted for only 13% of the total population of England. The area is made up of five counties namely Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, and the Greater Manchester. The North West region is home to Windermere which is the largest natural lake in England. The two major cities in the region are Manchester and Liverpool. The other big cities include Blackpool, Bolton, Blackburn, Preston, and Wigan, Warrington, and Stockport.

2. London

This region is also known as Greater London and forms the administrative boundaries of London. London region had a population of 8,174,000 at the 2011 census and covers an area of 1,572 km2. The city is made up of 33 districts and 32 London boroughs. The city of London is a separate county that is part of the Greater London region. The Greater London Authority headed by an elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly is situated in Southwark and is in charge of the strategic local government across the region. The Greater London area does not have city status, but the Crown has granted the cities of London and Westminster formal city status. The largest religious group in the regions are Christians who make up 48.4% followed by Muslims at 12.4% and Hindus at 5.1%.

1. South East

South East region had a population of over 8,634,750 as of 2011 and is highly populated compared to the other regions. With an area of 19,096 km2, South East region is the third largest among the other nine regions of England. This region does not have an elected government. Guildford is the headquarters of the region’s governmental bodies. The South East region of England has cities including Brighton and Hove, Oxford, Canterbury, Portsmouth, Chichester, Winchester, and Southampton. Reading, Milton, and Keynes are the other major settlements of the region. This area is also well known for two national parks the South Downs and the New Forest. The South East region is home to Oxford University which is one of the world’s best universities.