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Birmingham (/ˈbɜːrmɪŋəm/ [6][7][8] BUR-ming-əm) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in Britain[a][9] – commonly referred to as the second city of the United Kingdom[10][11][12][13][14] – with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper.[4] Birmingham borders the Black Country to its west and, together with the city of Wolverhampton and towns including Dudley and Solihull, forms the West Midlands conurbation. The royal town of Sutton Coldfield is incorporated within the city limits to the northeast. The wider metropolitan area has a population of 4.3 million, making it the largest outside London.[15]
Located in the West Midlands region of England, Birmingham is considered to be the social, cultural, financial and commercial centre of the Midlands. It is just west of the traditional centre point of England at Meriden,[16] and is the most inland major city in the country,[17] and lying north of the Cotswolds and east of the Shropshire Hills. Distinctively, Birmingham only has small rivers flowing through it, mainly the River Tame and its tributaries River Rea and River Cole – one of the closest main rivers is the Severn, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the city centre. The city does however have numerous canals, collectively named the Birmingham Canal Navigations.[18]
Historically a market town in Warwickshire in the medieval period, Birmingham grew during the 18th century during the Midlands Enlightenment and during the Industrial Revolution, which saw advances in science, technology and economic development, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society.[19] By 1791, it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world".[20] Birmingham's distinctive economic profile, with thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of specialised and highly skilled trades, encouraged exceptional levels of creativity and innovation; this provided an economic base for prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. The Watt steam engine was invented in Birmingham.[21]
The resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of political radicalism which, under leaders from Thomas Attwood to Joseph Chamberlain, was to give it a political influence unparalleled in Britain outside London and a pivotal role in the development of British democracy.[22] From the summer of 1940 to the spring of 1943, Birmingham was bombed heavily by the German Luftwaffe in what is known as the Birmingham Blitz. The damage done to the city's infrastructure, in addition to a deliberate policy of demolition and new building by planners, led to extensive urban regeneration in subsequent decades.
Birmingham's economy is now dominated by the service sector.[23] The city is a major international commercial centre and an important transport, retail, events and conference hub. Its metropolitan economy is the second-largest in the United Kingdom with a GDP of $121.1bn (2014[update]).[24] Its five universities,[25] including the University of Birmingham, make it the largest centre of higher education in the country outside London.[26] Birmingham's major cultural institutions – the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Library of Birmingham and Barber Institute of Fine Arts – enjoy international reputations,[27] and the city has vibrant and influential grassroots art, music, literary and culinary scenes.[28] Birmingham was the host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.[29][30] In 2021, Birmingham was the third most visited city in the UK by people from foreign nations.[31]
- ^ a b "Birmingham, West Midlands". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "How the council works". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Regional gross domestic product: all ITL regions". Office for National Statistics. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Definition of 'Birmingham'". CollinsDictionary.com. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Birmingham". Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Birmingham". WordReference.com. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "UK cities by population 2022". populationdata. June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ Elkes, Neil (16 February 2015). "Cameron: Birmingham is England's second city". BusinessLive. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ Tomlinson, Lucy (24 May 2013). "England's second city: Birmingham". Britain Magazine. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "The 15 most fun things to do in Birmingham". Lonely Planet. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ Walters, Jack (20 June 2022). "Boris hails Brexit Britain's 'regained' ability to boost relationship with Commonwealth". The Express. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ Cusack, Richard (26 April 2022). "'Hatred' – Gary Lineker and Micah Richards agree about Aston Villa vs Birmingham City". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ White, Richard (2021). "Metropolitan Area population". World Population. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
Birmingham is the second largest city in the United Kingdom
- ^ "Solihull Countryside Walks: Meriden" (PDF).
- ^ ExperiWise (16 June 2022). "Where Is Birmingham? (8 Interesting Facts)". ExperiWise. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
canwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Uglow 2011, pp. iv, 860–861; Jones 2008, pp. 14, 19, 71, 82–83, 231–232
- ^ Hopkins 1989, p. 26
- ^ Berg 1991, pp. 174, 184; Jacobs, Jane (1969). The economy of cities. New York: Random House. pp. 86–89. OCLC 5585.
- ^ Ward 2005, jacket; Briggs, Asa (1990) [1965]. Victorian Cities. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 185, 187–189. ISBN 0-14-013582-0.; Jenkins, Roy (2004). Twelve cities: a personal memoir. London: Pan Macmillan. pp. 50–51. ISBN 0-330-49333-7. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ^ "Employee jobs (2012)". Nomis – official labour market statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- ^ "Global city GDP 2014". Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ "Universities in Birmingham – Birmingham City Council". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Table 0 – All students by institution, mode of study, level of study and domicile 2008/09". Higher education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 31 January 2011.; Aldred, Tom (2009). "University Challenge: Growing the Knowledge Economy in Birmingham" (PDF). London: Centre for Cities. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ Maddocks, Fiona (6 June 2010). "Andris Nelsons, magician of Birmingham". The Observer. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 31 January 2011.; Craine, Debra (23 February 2010). "Birmingham Royal Ballet comes of age". The Times. Times Newspapers. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.; "The Barber Institute of Fine Arts". Johansens. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ Price, Matt (2008). "A Hitchhiker' s Guide to the Gallery – Where to see art in Birmingham and the West Midlands" (PDF). London: Arts Co. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2013.; King, Alison (13 October 2012). "Forget Madchester, it's all about the B-Town scene". The Independent. London: Independent News and Media. Retrieved 11 November 2013.; Segal, Francesca (3 August 2008). "Why Birmingham rules the literary roost". The Observer. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 11 November 2013.; Alexander, Lobrano (6 January 2012). "Birmingham, England – Could England's second city be first in food?". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "Home of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games". B2022.
- ^ Gardner, Jamie (6 August 2022). "Birmingham could host Olympics having 'totally embraced' Commonwealth Games". The Independent. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Travel trends - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
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