West Midlands is a heavily industrialised county although there is much beautiful countryside outside the main towns and cities. Engineering and mechanicals goods like motor vehicles and machine tools are typical products of the area. Alec Issigonis was one of the most colourful car designers of modern times. He went on to design the world famous Mini, which started production in 1959 at Longbridge, Birmingham and is still in production today. Two miles from Birmingham city centre is one of the biggest motorway junctions in Europe: Gravelly Hill Interchange, known as 'Spaghetti Junction' to millions of motorists.
The word Birmingham comes from the Anglo Saxon Ham (Home), ing (of the people) of Beorma (the local leader). Birmingham is said to have more canals than Venice - its first canal was opened in 1769. There are many locks on the canals including the famous Guillotine Lock in Kings Norton, which was used to control the flow of water between canals owned by different companies. Victoria Square has one of the largest fountains in Europe. It has a flow of 3,000 gallons per minute and is known as "The River". The city also boasts the historic Bull Ring - the site of a market for more than 800 years. Within the Bull Ring complex are 5 markets attracting around 20 million customers a year. The National Exhibition Centre (Birmingham NEC) is the centrepiece of this modern, thriving city.