North West England

The region comprises five ceremonial counties of England – Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. The North West England has a population of 7,052,000 in 2011. It is the third most populated region after Greater London and the South East England. It occupies the area of 14,165 sq km (5,469 sq mi). The density of its population is 498 sq km (1,290/sq mi).The biggest and the most important cities in this region are Manchester (Greater Manchester), Liverpool (Merseyside), Lancaster (Lancashire), Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria) and Chester (Cheshire).

North West England is bounded to the east by the Peak District and the Pennines and to the west by the Irish Sea. The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire; most of its area falls within the Peak District National Park, whose designation in 1951 made it the first national park in the UK. The region extends from the Scottish Borders in the north to the West Midlands region in the south. To its southwest is North Wales. It is famous for its Lake District and the Cheshire Plain. The highest point in North West England is (and the highest peak in England) is Scafell Pike (Cumbria) which is 978 meters. 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. The region includes parts of three National parks (all of the Lake District, and small parts of the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales) and three areas of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (all of Arnside and Silverdale and the Solway Coast, and almost all of the Forest of Bowland), serving as inspiration for artists, writers and musicians.

The Lake District is popular with holiday makers. It is the central mountainous area of Cumbria and has some of England’s most beautiful scenery. Several other names are used to describe this area, e.g. Lakeland, and the English Lakes. Since the Lake District is a National Park, there is special control over building, to make sure that the beauty of the countryside is not spoilt. This district is widely known for its association with the history of English literature and especially with the name of William Wordsworth (1770 -1850), the founder of the Lake School of poets.

Historic sites in Cumbria include Carlisle Castle, the remains of Furness Abbey which was originally built in 1123, and Hadrian’s Wall. It is predominantly rural and contains the famous Lake District.

One of the oldest cities of the region is Chester. It was founded as a Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix in the year 79 during the reign of the Roman Emperor Vespasian. After the Romans left it in the 5^th century, the Saxons fortified the town against the Danes and gave Chester its name. Chester was one of the last towns in England to fall to the Normans in the Norman Conquest of England. Chester is one of the best preserved walled cities in Britain; it is famous for its black-and-white architecture. Also Cheshire is historically famous for the production of Cheshire cheese, salt and woven silk.

This region – like many others – has been badly affected by the post-industrial recession. The 1980s saw dole queues and unemployment matches from the north towards London. Many of the traditional heavy industries are disappearing, and the region is developing new technological industries to help it overcome its difficulties. These include electrical engineering, plastics, fine chemicals, computers, and North Sea oil and gas.

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world’s first passenger inter-city railway in 1830.

Liverpool as one of the best known cities of the region was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880. It is the forth most populous British city, and third most populous in England, with a 2011 population of 466,400. By the 18^th century, trade from the West Indies, Ireland and mainland Europe coupled with close links with the Atlantic Slave Trade furthered the economic expansion of Liverpool. By the early 19^th century, 40% of the world’s trade passed through Liverpool docks. Liverpool is also known for its inventions and innovations, particularly in terms of infrastructure, transportation and general construction. Railways, transatlantic steamships, municipal trams, ferries and the skyscraper were all pioneered in the city. The city is also home to the oldest Black African community in the country and the oldest Chinese community in Europe.

Liverpool is noted for its rich architectural heritage and is home to many buildings regarded as amongst the greatest examples of their respective styles in the world. Several areas of the city centre were granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. Referred to as the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City, the site comprises six separate locations in the city, including the Pier Head (a trio of beautiful landmarks), Albert Dock (a complex of dock buildings), and William Brown Street, sometimes referred to as the “Cultural Quarter”.

Liverpool is internationally known for music and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the World Capital City of Pop. Musicians from the city have produced 56 number one singles, more than any other city in the world. Liverpool is most famous as the birthplace of The Beatles and during the 1960s was at the forefront of the Beat Music Movement.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16