Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the center of England. It has been the capital of England more than once in the 15th century when the seat of Government was held in Coventry. Coventry's outstanding heritage includes the Roman Fort at Baginton, Lady Godiva, St Mary's Guildhall (where kings and queens were entertained) and three cathedrals.
Coventry is located in the county of Warwickshire. Coventry is the 10th-largest city in England and the 12th-largest UK city overall. It is also the second largest city in the West Midlands region, after Birmingham, with a population of 359,493 in 2013. Coventry is an ancient settlement that predates Birmingham and Leicester.
Coventry is situated 95 miles (152.89 kilometers) northwest of central London, 19 miles (30.58 kilometers) east-south-east of Birmingham, 24 miles (38.62 kilometers) southwest of Leicester and 10 miles (16.09 kilometers) north of Warwick. It is further from the coast than any other city in Britain. Although harboring a population of more than a third of a million inhabitants, Coventry is not amongst the English Core Cities Group due to its proximity to Birmingham. Approximately half a million people live within 10 miles (16.09 kilometers) of Coventry city center.
Coventry was the world's first twin city, when it formed a twinning relationship with the American city of Honolulu during the Second World War. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the American people during the Pearl Harbor attacks. The city is now also twinned with Dresden, Lidice, Saint-Étienne and twenty-one other cities around the world. A part of the city center at the entrance to the Lower Precinct is named Lidice Place.
Coventry Cathedral is one of the newer cathedral buildings, having been built after the destruction of the 14th century cathedral church of Saint Michael by the German Luftwaffe on 14 November 1940. Coventry motor companies have contributed significantly to the British motor industry. The city has two universities, the city center-based Coventry University and the University of Warwick on the southern outskirts.
Twin cities[]
- Coventry, Connecticut, America
- Coventry, New York, America
- Coventry, Rhode Island, America
- Honolulu, America
- Graz, Austria
- Sarajevo, Bosnia
- Pernik, Bulgaria
- Cornwall, Canada
- Granby, Canada
- Windsor, Canada
- Lidice, Czechia
- Ostrava, Czechia
- Caen, France
- Saint-Étienne, France
- Dresden, Germany
- Kiel, Germany
- Dunaújváros, Hungary
- Kecskemét, Hungary
- Cork, Ireland
- Bologna, Italy
- Arnhem, Netherlands
- Warsaw, Poland
- Galati, Romania
- Volgograd, Soviet Union
- Belgrade, Yugoslavia