West Midlands (county)

West Midlands is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the larger West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire to the north and west, Worcestershire to the south, and projects into Warwickshire to the east. The largest settlement is the city of Birmingham. The county has an area of 902 km2 (348 sq mi) and is almost entirely urban, with an estimated population of 3,036,605 in 2024; this made it the 2nd most populous county in England after Greater London. Birmingham is in the centre of the county, with Solihull and the city of Coventry to the east and West Bromwich and the city of Wolverhampton to the west. Sutton Coldfield lies to the north. Most of the settlements in the centre and west of the county belong to the West Midlands conurbation, which is separated from Coventry by a rural area around the town of Balsall Common. For local government purposes the West Midlands comprises seven metropolitan boroughs: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. Their councils collaborate through the West Midlands Combined Authority. The county covers areas which were historically part of a detached section of Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. The west of the county encloses the valley of the River Tame and its tributaries; the highest point of the surrounding area is Turners Hill, at 271 metres (889 ft). West Midlands contains the Sutton Park Site of Special Scientific Interest, which has an area of 970 hectares (2,400 acres) and is one of the largest urban parks in Europe. The area between Solihull and Coventry is part of the Forest of Arden, and the rivers Sowe and Sherbourne flow through Coventry.