Merseyside

Merseyside is located in the North West of England with a population of around 1,366,000 and an area of 645 square kilometres Merseyside is named after the River Mersey and comprises the urban area by the Mersey estuary centred upon Liverpool. Merseyside contains the metropolitan boroughs of Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and the Wirral.

Geography

The county is divided into two parts by the Mersey estuary, the Wirral is located on the upon the Wirral Peninsula on the west side of the estuary and the rest of the county is located on the east side. Merseyside borders onto Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The two halves are linked by two road tunnels, a railway tunnel, and the Mersey Ferry. It is traditional to express location within the Merseyside area by the preposition on, thus "on Merseyside" as opposed to "in Merseyside".

History

Merseyside was created on 1 April 1974 from areas previously part of the administrative counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, along with the county boroughs of Birkenhead, Wallasey, Liverpool, Bootle, and St Helens.