II.

Land and Resources

The area of the county is mostly underlain by coal measures, and its plateaux are formed by sandstones and shales. The lowlands in the west are of clay.

The climate is cool. Manchester has the reputation of being one of the wettest cities in England, but in fact the annual rainfall over the county as a whole is in the region of 760 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in), which, while fairly high, does not approach, for instance, the level in the Lake District.