Staffordshire is a midland county and an important coal mining region, bounded on the north by
Cheshire and
Derbyshire, on the east by
Derbyshire and
Leicestershire, on the south by
Warwickshire and
Worcestershire, and on the west by
Shropshire. It has an area of 1154 square miles.
The highest land is in the north, where the hills reach well over 1000 feet. This is the famous "Potteries" district, covering the north Staffordshire coal fields. The "Black Country" of the south, with its continuous string of manufacturing towns, has iron deposits in addition to its coal reserves.
The county is drained principally by the Trent and its tributaries.
Important towns include Stafford, the county seat, as well as Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, and Walsall.
