Staffordshire

Staffordshire (/ˈstæfədʃɪər/ or /ˈstæfədʃə/; abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands of England. The Cannock Chase AONB is situated within the county and also parts of the National Forest, as well as areas of the Peak District national park. It adjoins Cheshire to the north west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the south east, West Midlands and Worcestershire to the south and Shropshire to the west.

The largest city in Staffordshire is Stoke-on-Trent, which is administered separately from the rest of the county as an independent unitary authority. Lichfield also has city status, although this is a considerably smaller cathedral city. Major towns include Stafford (the county town), Burton upon Trent, Cannock, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leek and Tamworth.

Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich and Smethwick were historic Staffordshire towns until local government reorganisation created the West Midlands county in 1974.

Apart from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire is divided into the districts of Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, and Tamworth.