NORTHUMBERLAND, TYNE AND WEAR - Geography and history
Northumberland is the northernmost county in England and covers a total area of 5,000 km2. It is chiefly rural and the population density is low (around 60 inhabitants per km2 in 2002). By contrast, Tyne and Wear (comprising the local authorities of Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside) to the south of Northumberland is largely urban and has a population of 1.1 million, but covers an area of just over 500 km2. The bulk of the population lives in the City of Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland. The Newcastle-Gateshead conurbation with a population of around three-quarters of a million people is largely seen as a regional centre.
Much of the west of Northumberland consists of mountains and forested upland and is particularly sparsely populated. To the north-west, the border with Scotland is marked by the Cheviot hills which rise to over 700 m. To the south and west are the Cumbrian and Durham moors. Tyne and Wear and the east of Northumberland lie in a flatter coastal plain through the south of which flow the rivers Tyne and Wear.
The coastal A1(M) trunk road links Newcastle with the Midlands and as the A1 continues north through Northumberland and links the counties with Edinburgh. The principal east to west route is the A69 trunk road. The area is served by the east coast mainline railway running from London to Edinburgh. Newcastle international airport is located to the north-west of the city and provides scheduled services to Europe and international destinations on charter flights. The port of Tyne and Wear provides regular ferry services to Scandinavia and the Netherlands.
Changing industrial landscape
The traditional industries of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear include mining, shipbuilding and heavy engineering so that many of the area's industrial strengths are in areas which have been in decline in recent years and there has been a need to develop new industries.
Diversification of the industrial base is continuing with electronic component manufacture, offshore engineering, pharmaceuticals and automotive (Nissan) sector featuring strongly. Centres of Excellence in Life Sciences, Nanotechnology, Digital Technology and Renewable Energy have also been established. Call centres are now also an important part of the Tyne and Wear business landscape.
Agriculture remains important in much of Northumberland, sheep farming is largely practised on the higher ground, beef cattle and arable farming on the better lowland soils. Forestry is also important as extensive forests, notably Kielder and Wark, cover much of the west of Northumberland. In the Districts of Berwick upon Tweed and in Alnwick employment in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry accounted for nearly 10 per cent of total employment in 2001. Mineral extraction is another industry that was traditionally important to the economy of Northumberland, although employment has decreased in recent years and is a fraction of what it was several decades ago.
As a result of the shifts away from the traditional industries, unemployment has become a concern. In 2001/02, the unemployment rate in Tyne and Wear was 7.9 per cent, which is much higher than the rate of 5.9 per cent in Northumberland. There has however been a noticeable convergence with the UK unemployment rate.
Busy cities and large forest areas
The total population of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear was 1.4 million in 2002, 3.5 per cent lower than it was in 1992. The overall population density was 249 inhabitants per km2 in 2002.
The Tyne and Wear area and Northumberland County are very dissimilar and most of the imbalances in the areas reflect this. Tyne and Wear is a small, densely populated largely rural area whilst the county of Northumberland is largely rural and, particularly in the north and east, extremely sparsely populated. In 2002, Tynedale, Berwick upon Tweed and Alnwick each had less than 30 persons per km2; Tyne and Wear averaged around 2,000 persons per km2.
In common with other conurbations, Tyne and Wear has experienced a fall in population during the past 2 decades as people move out from the cities to outlying areas. Between 1982 and 2002, the population of Tyne and Wear decreased by 7 per cent, with Gateshead experiencing a 10 per cent decrease. The corollary of this trend can be seen in Northumberland as the rural districts of Alnwick and Tynedale have seen their populations increase sharply over this period, both up by 9 per cent.
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