The is a geographical term describing the western half of central
England , known as the
Midlands . It is also known by its historical name of
Mercia .
There is some confusion in the use of the term "West Midlands", as the name is also used for the much smaller
West Midlands County , and is still used by various organisations within that area such as
West Midlands Police and
West Midlands Fire Service .
The West Midlands Region is sometimes considered to spread as far as
Cheshire ,
Gloucestershire and
Oxfordshire , but these are not part of the official region.
The highest point in the region is
Black Mountain , at 703 metres.
The core area is now an official
Government Region which consists of the following geographic
Counties (shown in ) and their local government areas:
(
Ceremonial County )
''Metropolitan boroughs:''
