It is well known that Birmingham is the biggest provincial town in Great Britain. It is situated in the centre of the upland area in the valleys of three small rivers — the Tame, the Cole and the Rea. These rivers flow into the Trent, a big navigable river. Birmingham is considered a country borough of Warwickshire and a market centre of the Black County. Birmingham is younger than the major part of British cities. People do not know the exact date of birth of their town but it is known for sure that it did not exist before Anglo-Saxon times. In the 13th century the Midland coal fields influenced its development and growth. In the 19th century the Black County was called Birmingham, it was all due to the intensive activity of the heavy industry. Today, its coal is almost worked out, iron ore is no longer melted and on the old quarries qrow green grass and wild flowers.

Birmingham is an industrial city but it is rich in numerous pleasant residential suburbs and open spaces. The cultural life is centred there. There are departments of science, arts, medicine, commerce and law at the University of Birmingham. And of course it is an important research centre.

There are many modem factories, but its industrial pattern is mostly based on small firms. Birmingham produces brassware, silverware, motor vehicles, electrical equipment machine tools, metal good jewellery, small arms and plastics.

Guests of Birmingham should visit the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which are very famous in the city. They include a good collection of work by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Among popular places of interest in Birmingham are the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, St Philip and St Martin Cathedrals, a popula attraction for fans of J. R. Tolkien, the concert hall. Victoria Square and others.