West Midlands

Metropolitan county in central England, created in 1974 out of southeastern Staffordshire, northwestern Warwickshire, and part of northeastern Worcestershire; in 1986 the county council was abolished and administrative power devolved to the new unitary authorities of Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull, and Coventry; has an area of 347 sq mi. Sparsely populated until Saxon occupation ca. 5th cen.; called "Black Country" because of coalfields, & heavy industries in Birmingham, Dudley & Wolverhampton; important for its vast systems of canals & railways, Rover car & Cadbury chocolate factories.