   the west midlands is one of nine official regions of england at the first level of nuts for statistical purposes. it covers the western half of the area traditionally known as the midlands. it contains the second most populous british city, birmingham, and the larger west midlands conurbation, which includes the city of wolverhampton and large towns of dudley, solihull, walsall and west bromwich. the city of coventry is also located within the west midlands county, but is separated from the conurbation to the west by several miles of green belt. the region is geographically diverse, from the urban central areas of the conurbation to the rural western counties of shropshire and herefordshire which border wales. the longest river in the uk, the river severn, traverses the region southeastwards, flowing through the county towns of shrewsbury and worcester, and the ironbridge gorge, a unesco world heritage site, as birthplace of the industrial revolution. staffordshire is home to the industrialised potteries conurbation, including the city of stoke-on-trent, and the staffordshire moorlands area, which borders the southeastern peak district national park near leek. the region also enco
NUTS_1_statistical_regions_of_England NUTS_1_statistical_regions_of_the_European_Union West_Midlands_(region)