Tyne and Wear

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Tyne and Wear Metropolitan council in ne England, formed in 1974 from parts of the former counties of Northumberland and Durham, and including the former county borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, which is its administrative centre. A highly industrialized area, its staple industries of coal-mining, iron and steel production, and shipbuilding declined after the 1920s. There were signs of a recovery in the 1990s, based on various light industries. Area: 537sq km (207sq mi). Pop. (2000 est.) 1,103,600.

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