The West Midlands incorporates the Cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton although the region stretches from the Potteries to the gentle Cotswold Hills. The county is the most densely populated area outside of London with around 2.2 million residents in its 902 square kms. Birmingham actually has more miles of canals than Venice and was where the first ever 4-wheel petrol-driven car was made, by Frederick Lanchester in 1895 which evolved into the massive automotive industry found in the area today.