north east england history
North-East England is one of the nine official regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and a small part of North Yorkshire. The North East has the lowest GDP/capita in England.
The highest point in the region is The Cheviot, in Northumberland, at 815 metres (2,674 ft). The principal city is Newcastle, with the largest city in terms of area and population being Sunderland.
As well as its urban centres of Tyneside, Wearside and Teesside the region is also noted for the richness of its natural beauty. Northumberland National Park, the region's coastline, its section of the Pennines and Weardale provides evidence for this. It also has great historic importance, the evidence of which is seen in Northumberland's Castles and the two World Heritage Sites of Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall.
The shipbuilding industry that once dominated both Wearside and Tyneside suffered a terrible decline during the second half of the twentieth century. Tyneside is now re-inventing itself as an international centre of art and culture and, through The Centre For Life, scientific research (especially in stem cell technology). After suffering economic decline during the last century, Wearside is becoming an important area for quaternary industry, science and high technology. The economy of Teesside is largely based on its petrochemical industry. Northumberland, being largely rural, bases its economy on farming and tourism.
In May 2005 the 'Passionate people. Passionate places' Regional Image campaign was launched to promote North East England as a great place to work, study, visit and invest in .
The North-East region has the lowest GDP/capita in England, and second lowest in the United Kingdom only behind Wales. The economy for several decades was idiosyncratically predicated on ship building and coal mining; hence the phrase taking coals to Newcastle.
County Durham and Northumberland are largely agricultural. Nationally well-known companies in the North East include ICI in Middlesbrough. Swan Hunter still makes ships in Wallsend. Scottish & Newcastle is the largest UK-owned brewery, and has the Newcastle Federation Brewery in Dunston, producing Newcastle Brown Ale. Petroplus refine oil at the Port Clarence (former Teesside) Refinery.
The government's Child benefit office is in Washington. Northern Rock building society is based in Gosforth. Findus UK is based in Longbenton. Nestlé have a chocolate factory in Fawdon. The MetroCentre, the largest shopping centre in Europe, is in Dunston. Before 2000 the Government Offices in Longbenton had a 1 mile long corridor which went all along the outside of the buildings, since then the whole place has changed with new buildings being built.