‎ Birmingham, second largest city of the United Kingdom and a metropolitan borough in ‎the West Midlands metropolitan county. It lies near the geographic center of England, at the ‎crossing points of the national railway and motorway systems. Birmingham is the largest ‎city of the West Midlands conurbation—one of England's principal industrial and ‎commercial areas—for which it acts as an administrative, recreational, and cultural center. ‎The city lies approximately 110 miles (177 km) northwest of London.‎