Northern England
Northern England is a culturally and economically distinct region of England.
Northern England, also referred to as the North of England or simply the North, is the northern part of England. It corresponds mainly to the historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland, and Yorkshire, and is officially grouped into three statistical regions: the North East, the North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber. The region is culturally and economically distinct from both the Midlands and Southern England, and its southern border is often debated, with no universally accepted definition of what precisely constitutes the North.
- Population (2021 census)
- 15.5 million
- Area
- 37,331 km² (14,414 sq mi)
- Number of cities
- 18
- Highest peak
- Scafell Pike (978 m / 3,209 ft)
- Largest lake
- Windermere
- Deepest lake
- Wastwater
- National parks
- 5 (Peak District, Lake District, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland)
Lore & Background
Northern England corresponds to the borders of the sub-Roman Brythonic Celtic territory of the Old North (Yr Hen Ogledd) and the medieval Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria. Many innovations of the Industrial Revolution began in the North, and its cities were crucibles of political changes such as trade unionism and Manchester Liberalism. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the economy was dominated by heavy industry.
Reader's Guide
Northern England's significance lies in its role as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and its lasting cultural and economic distinctiveness from Southern England. The region's cities, such as Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle upon Tyne, were centers of industrial innovation and political change, including the rise of trade unionism. Industrial decline in the second half of the 20th century led to greater deprivation compared to the South, though urban renewal and a transition to a service economy have spurred growth in some areas. The North–South divide remains a prominent feature of English economy and culture. The region's geography is dominated by the Pennines, the Lake District, and several national parks, and its culture has been shaped by centuries of immigration, invasion, and labor, resulting in distinctive accents, dialects, music, arts, and cuisine. Definitions of the North vary widely, with some including parts of Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, while others restrict it to the northernmost reaches such as North East England and Cumbria.
Did You Know?
- The Lake District contains England's highest peak (Scafell Pike), largest lake (Windermere), and deepest lake (Wastwater).
- Northern England has five of England's ten national parks: Peak District, Lake District, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, and Northumberland.
- The government plans to plant over 50 million trees in a new Northern Forest to combat the region being one of the most treeless areas in Europe.
- Some definitions of the North include the Isle of Man, though it is politically and culturally distinct from England.
More in European Regions 1-24
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