East Midlands
The East Midlands has an area of over 15,600 km and a population of around 4.2 million. It has the second lowest population density of any English region at 270 people per km2. The region is largely rural, with major population centres around Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Northampton and Nottingham. The unitary authorities of Nottingham and Leicester each have populations of over 250,000.The region's economy is diverse. It is characterised by declining manufacturing industries in the former coalfield areas of the north of the region; heavy dependence on agriculture and food processing in Lincolnshire and other rural areas; and core employment centres, with a diverse and growing service sector, in the main towns and cities – including Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Loughborough and Northampton.
