A NASA satellite image of Greater Manchester. Manchester city centre, the centre of the conurbation is found centre-right.

The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large conurbation surrounding Manchester in northern England. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (992x653, 1317 KB) Satelite image of the Greater Manchester area/county/conurbation, and thus appropriate for inclusion and display on related articles (Manchester and such). ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (992x653, 1317 KB) Satelite image of the Greater Manchester area/county/conurbation, and thus appropriate for inclusion and display on related articles (Manchester and such). ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States Government, responsible for that nations public space program. ... City of Manchester. ... The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the government executive agency charged with the collection and publication of statistics related to the economy, population and society of the United Kingdom at national and local levels. ... A conurbation is an urban area comprising a number of cities, towns and villages which, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

Not to be confused with the Metropolitan county of the same name, the Urban Area does not include parts of the Greater Manchester county such as Wigan and Marple, but does include some settlements which are outside of the county boundaries, such as Wilmslow. The six metropolitan counties shown within England The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level subnational entity in current use in England. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England and has a population of 2. ... Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, North West England. ... Marple can refer to either a place in the United Kingdom or in the United States: Marple in Greater Manchester, UK Marple Township in Pennsylvania, US It may also refer to Miss Marple, a fictional character created by Agatha Christie. ... Wilmslow is a town in Cheshire, England, situated to the south of Manchester between Alderley Edge and Handforth. ...

According to the 2001 census the area had a population of 2,240,230,^[1] making it England's third most populous conurbation after Greater London and the West Midlands Urban Areas. The Greater London Urban Area is the conurbation based around London in the South East of England. ... The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton, in the English West Midlands. ...

Constituent parts

The largest settlements (in descending order of population) within the Greater Manchester Urban Area are Manchester, Bolton, Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, and Bury. These settlements are not co-terminus with the Metropolitan Boroughs of the same name, and the ONS takes its settlement boundaries as the pre-1974 local authorities. This means that the GMUA bears a much closer resemblance to the earlier SELNEC area than to the Greater Manchester Metropolitan County. This article is becoming very long. ... Statistics Population: 139,403 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD715095 Administration Metropolitan borough: Bolton Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Ambulance: North West Post office and telephone Post... Stockport is a large town in the north west of England. ... For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Oldham. ... For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. ... Salford is a city in Greater Manchester in the north-west of England. ... Statistics Population: 60,718 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD805105 Administration Metropolitan borough: Bury Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North West... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in England established in 1974 which covers an area roughly encompassing the conurbation of Manchester. ...

Wigan is separate from the Greater Manchester Urban Area, although other parts of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Wigan are included. Wigan, with Ince-in-Makerfield forms a separate Wigan Urban Area; the gap is formed between Ince (of Wigan U.A.) and Hindley (Greater Manchester U.A.). Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, North West England. ... The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. ... Ince-in-Makerfield, usually known just as Ince is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. ... A NASA satelite image of Wigan. ... Ince is a village and civil parish in the Ellesmere Port and Neston district of Cheshire, England. ... Hindley is a town on the outskirts of the Wigan Borough in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. ...

Other urban areas, in particular Glossop and Golborne are also only narrowly avoided. Glossop is a tourist market town in the borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Settlements

According to the ONS definitions the Greater Manchester Urban Area consists of the following settlements:^[2]

This article is becoming very long. ... Statistics Population: 139,403 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD715095 Administration Metropolitan borough: Bolton Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Ambulance: North West Post office and telephone Post... Stockport is a large town in the north west of England. ... For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Oldham. ... For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. ... Salford is a city in Greater Manchester in the north-west of England. ... Statistics Population: 60,718 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD805105 Administration Metropolitan borough: Bury Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North West... Cheadle is a small town near Stockport in Greater Manchester in England and falls within the Manchester urban area. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sale is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. ... {infobox England place| |Latitude= 53. ... Ashton-under-Lyne is a town in Greater Manchester with a population of 44,400 (2001 estimate). ... Leigh is a town in Greater Manchester, in north west England. ... Statistics Population: 42,103 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ7994 Latitude: 53. ... Swinton is the name of several places: Swinton, Berwickshire Swinton, Glasgow Swinton, Greater Manchester Swinton, South Yorkshire This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Urmston is a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hazel Grove is a village near Stockport in the North West of England. ... Bramhall (a disrict of Stockport in Greater Manchester, North West England) Bramhall is a large village in Stockport, England. ... Location within the British Isles Eccles is a Small Town in the northwest of England that is in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford but not, traditionally, part of Salford. ... Walkden. ... Radcliffe is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester (historically in Lancashire), England. ... Wilmslow is a town in Cheshire, England, situated to the south of Manchester between Alderley Edge and Handforth. ... Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England. ... Tyldesley (pronounced tilds-lee) is a town and component area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, north-west England. ... Statistics Population: 33,001 (2001 Census) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD9005 Administration Metropolitan Borough: Oldham Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hyde refers to: // Persons named Hyde Last name Hyde Anne Hyde (1637–1671), English noblewoman, mother of two British queens, Mary II and Anne Arthur M. Hyde (1877–1947), American politician, Governor of Missouri, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture DeWitt S. Hyde (1909–1987), American politician, congressman from Maryland (1953... Bredbury is an area of Stockport. ... Romiley is a small district in the English town of Stockport. ... Heywood is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. ... Denton is a former hat-manufacturing town and suburb of Manchester, situated six miles east of the centre of the city of Manchester, United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hindley is a small town and component area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. ... Whitefield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury of Greater Manchester, traditionally Lancashire, England. ... Statistics Population: 23,172 (2001 census) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ8998 Administration Metropolitan Borough: Tameside Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance... Bromley Cross is a suburb of Bolton, Greater Manchester but historically Lancashire. ... Bradshaw is now part of the unparished area of South Turton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. ... Statistics Population: 22,568 (2001 Census) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ963985 Administration District: Tameside Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Cheshire / Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North... Royton is a town in Greater Manchester, England. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Location within the British Isles Failsworth is a town in North West England. ... Statistics Population: 21,721 (2001 Census) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD938090 Administration Metropolitan Borough: Oldham Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: Greater Manchester... Irlam is a town located in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, and is closely related with its neighbouring town of Cadishead. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Statistics Population: 18,289 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD633114 Administration District: Bolton Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Ambulance service: North West Post office and telephone Post... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hale is an affluent, built-up village south east of Altrincham in the metropolitan borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Littleborough is a small town on the western side of the Pennines, which forms part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. ... Map sources for Audenshaw at grid reference SJ925975 The town of Audenshaw borders the City of Manchester on the west side of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. ... Milnrow is a small town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. ... Little Lever is a small town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton of Greater Manchester in the north west of England. ... Kearsley is an area in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England, about four miles south-east of Bolton itself. ... The view westward down Longdendale from above the Woodhead Tunnel, showing the Longdendale Trail (left) and A628 Woodhead Pass road. ... Partington is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. ... Tottington is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. ... Wardle is a village in north-west England located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. ... Brinnington is a north-eastern suburb of Stockport, Greater Manchester. ... Bowdon is an area in south-west Greater Manchester in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, United Kingdom. ... Whitworth View Whitworth is a town situated in the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, in England. ...

References

Map showing makeup of the conurbation according to the ONS (PDF)

1. ^ Key Statistics for urban areas in England and Wales, 2001 Census. URL accessed February 21, 2007.
2. ^ Greater Manchester Urban Area, 2001 Census. URL accessed February 21, 2007.