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Tyne and Wear

County of England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Tyne and Wear (/ˌtn ... ˈwɪər/) is a ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Quick facts: Tyne and Wear, Sovereign state, Constituent c...
Tyne and Wear
Angel_of_the_North_2-10-14.png
Souter_Lighthouse_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2859840.jpg
Tyne_Bridge_-_Newcastle_Upon_Tyne_-_England_-_2004-08-14.jpg
The Angel of the North, Souter Lighthouse in Whitburn, and the River Tyne between Gateshead and Newcastle.
Tyne and Wear within England
Tyne and Wear within England
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionNorth East
Established1974
(Local Government Act 1972) Created from the five county boroughs within Northumberland (North of Tyne) and County Durham (South of Tyne)
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time)
  Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time)
PoliceNorthumbria Police
Ceremonial county
Lord LieutenantLucy Winskell
High SheriffMrs Sarah Stewart[1] (2020–21)
Area538 km2 (208 sq mi)
  Ranked44th of 48
Population (2021)1,136,371
  Ranked16th of 48
Density2,105/km2 (5,450/sq mi)
Ethnicity2011:[2]
91.49% White British
4.10% Asian
1.98% Other White
0.97% Mixed
0.78% Black
0.67% Other
Metropolitan county
Area538 km2 (208 sq mi)
ONS code2D
GSS codeE11000007
ITLUKC22/23
WebsiteLieutenancy website
Districts
Tyne_and_Wear_numbered_districts.svg
Districts of Tyne and Wear
Districts
  1. Gateshead
  2. City of Newcastle upon Tyne
  3. North Tyneside
  4. South Tyneside
  5. City of Sunderland
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The county is heavily urbanised, with a population of 1.14 million in 2021. After Newcastle (300,125) the largest settlements are Sunderland (170,134), Gateshead (120,046), and South Shields (75,337). Nearly all of the county's settlements belong to either the Tyneside or Wearside conurbations, the latter of which also extends into County Durham.

The county was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972. The Tyne and Wear County Council was abolished in 1986, and its area is now governed by five metropolitan boroughs: Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside. The boroughs collaborate through two combined authorities: North of Tyne consists of Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland, and North East consists of the remaining boroughs and County Durham. Tyne and Wear straddles the historic county boundary of Northumberland and County Durham, with the River Tyne forming the border between the two.

The most notable geographic features of the county are the River Tyne and River Wear, after which it is named and along which its major settlements are placed. The county is also notable for its coastline to the North Sea in the east, which is characterised by tall limestone cliffs and wide beaches.