What is the population of the Midlands?
The Midlands had a combined population of 10.9 million at the 2021 census. It covers an area of 28,622 square kilometres across the East and West Midlands statistical regions.
Questions about Midlands
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the largest city in the Midlands?
Birmingham is the largest city in the Midlands and the second-largest city in the United Kingdom. The West Midlands urban area, which includes Birmingham and Wolverhampton, had a population of over 2.4 million at the 2011 census.
What was the medieval kingdom of the Midlands called?
The Midlands corresponds broadly to the early medieval kingdom of Mercia. A diagonal gold cross on a blue field, known as a saltire, served as the kingdom's heraldic symbol and was recognised as the Mercian flag by the Flag Institute in 2014.
What are the highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in England?
Both extremes were recorded in the Midlands. The highest, 40.3 C, was measured on the 19th of July 2022 near Coningsby in Lincolnshire. The lowest, -26.1 C, was recorded on the 10th of January 1982 near Newport in Shropshire.
What famous foods originated in the Midlands?
The Midlands is the origin of the Melton Mowbray pork pie, the Bakewell tart, the Staffordshire oatcake, the Coventry godcake, Stilton cheese, Worcestershire sauce, Walkers crisps, and Cadbury chocolate. Birmingham is also associated with the local version of the Asian balti curry.
What famous music acts came from the Midlands?
Black Sabbath from Birmingham are considered pioneers of heavy metal music, while Godflesh from the same city are named pioneers of industrial metal. The Specials emerged from Coventry's ska scene in the 1970s, and Discharge from Stoke-on-Trent has been highly influential in punk music.