North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes.[a] The region covers an area of 8,592 km2 (3,317 square miles) and in 2019 had a recorded population of nearly 2.7 million. There are four counties in the region: County Durham; Tyne and Wear; Northumberland and part of North Yorkshire known as Tees Valley. The largest settlements are Newcastle upon Tyne, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Gateshead, Darlington and Hartlepool. There are three conurbations in the region: Tyneside (Newcastle upon Tyne’s greater metropolitan area); Wearside (centred on Sunderland); and Teesside (a merger of urban areas in north North Yorkshire and south County Durham). Only three settlements in the region have city status: Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland and Durham.
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