|
North-East
England is one of the nine official regions of England and comprises the
combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley.
The highest point in the region is The Cheviot, in Northumberland, at 815 metres
(2,674 ft). The principal city is Newcastle Upon Tyne. The largest city in
terms of population is Sunderland, but Newcastle and Tyneside have a larger
combined total.
As well as its urban centres of Tyneside, Wearside and Teesside the region
is also noted for the richness of its natural beauty. Northumberland National
Park, the region's coastline, its section of the Pennines and Weardale provides
evidence for this. It also has great historic importance, the evidence of which
is seen in Northumberland's Castles and the two World Heritage Sites of Durham
Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall
The ancient history of this region was first recorded
by Roman settlement, which includes construction of the most important Roman
monument in Great Britain, Hadrian's Wall. This wall as well as the Stanegate
also continue into Cumbria to the west, but the most significant stone battlements
of the wall are in North East England, since the availability of stone was
much greater on the Whin Sill or eastern reaches of the wall. Hadrian's
Wall was constructed primarily to prevent small bands of raiders and unwanted
immigrants from the north, rather than a fighting line for a major invasion.
The region was created in 1994 and was originally defined as Northumberland,
Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Cleveland. As part of a reform of local
government, Cleveland has since been abolished and several unitary districts
created. The North East has been considered to be very religious especially
Northumberland (home of the Lindisfarne Gospels), some of the scenery in
the outlying villages is of considerable quality.
The region is now considered to consist of four distinct 'sub-regions':
* County Durham
* Northumberland
* Tyne and Wear
* Tees Valley (former Cleveland area plus Darlington)
|