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County Borough of Birmingham

Birmingham
City and Metropolitan borough
Skyline of Birmingham City Centre from the south
Library of Birmingham Birmingham Town Hall
St Philip's Cathedral University of Birmingham St Martin's church and Selfridges department store in the Bull Ring
Flag of Birmingham
Flag
Coat of arms of Birmingham
Coat of arms
Etymology: Old English Beormingahām (home or settlement of the Beormingas)
Nickname(s):
  • Brum
  • Brummagem
  • Second City
  • City of a thousand trades
  • Workshop of the World
  • Venice of the North
Motto: Forward
Birmingham shown within the West Midlands county
Birmingham shown within the West Midlands county
Birmingham is located in the United Kingdom
Birmingham
Birmingham
Location within the United Kingdom
Coordinates: 52°28′59″N 1°53′37″W / 52.48306°N 1.89361°W / 52.48306; -1.89361Coordinates: 52°28′59″N 1°53′37″W / 52.48306°N 1.89361°W / 52.48306; -1.89361
Sovereign state  United Kingdom
Constituent country  England
Region West Midlands
Ceremonial county  West Midlands
Historic county  Warwickshire
Settlement c. 600
Seigneurial borough 1166
Municipal borough 1838
City 1889
Metropolitan borough 1 April 1974
Administrative HQ The Council House,
Victoria Square
Government
 • Type Metropolitan borough
 • Body Birmingham City Council
 • Lord Mayor Carl Rice (Lab)
 • Council Control Labour
 • Council Leader John Clancy (L)
 • MPs
Area
 • City 103.39 sq mi (267.77 km2)
 • Urban 231.2 sq mi (598.9 km2)
Elevation 460 ft (140 m)
Population (2014 mid year estimate.)
 • City 1,101,360
 • Rank 1st, English districts
 • Density 10,620/sq mi (4,102/km2)
 • Urban 2,440,986 (3rd)
 • Metro 3,701,107 (2nd)
Demonym(s) Brummie
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Postcode B
Area code(s) 0121
ISO 3166 code GB-BIR
Ethnicity
(2011 Census)
  • 57.9% White (53.1% White British)
  • 26.6% Asian
  • 8.9% Black
  • 4.4% Mixed Race
  • 2.0% Other
International Airports Birmingham Airport
GDP US$ 121.1 billion (2nd)
GDP per capita US$ 31,572
Website Birmingham City

Birmingham (Listeni/ˈbɜːrmɪŋəm/) is a major city and metropolitan borough of West Midlands, England. It is the largest and most populous British city outside London, with a population in 2014 of 1,101,360. The city is in the West Midlands Built-up Area, the third most populous urban area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2,440,986 at the 2011 census. Birmingham's metropolitan area is the second most populous in the UK with a population of 3.8 million. This also makes Birmingham the 9th most populous metropolitan area in Europe.

A medium-sized market town in the medieval period, Birmingham grew to international prominence in the 18th century at the heart of the Midlands Enlightenment and subsequent Industrial Revolution, which saw the town at the forefront of worldwide advances in science, technology, and economic development, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society. By 1791 it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". 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 and provided a diverse and resilient economic base for industrial prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. Perhaps the most important invention in British history, the industrial steam engine, was invented in Birmingham. Its resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of broad-based political radicalism, that 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. 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 demolition and redevelopment in subsequent decades.


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