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Britain's smallest, highest and oldest cities revealed as 8 places get new status

Ellen Manning
·3-min read
Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, is one of eight places given city status. (Getty)
Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, is one of eight places given city status. (Getty)

Eight places have been given city status as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The capital of the Falkland Islands, Bangor in Northern Ireland, and Milton Keynes are among the locations to have been made cities.

The Cabinet Office announced the new city list on Friday (20 May), which includes the following:-

  • Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands

  • Douglas, Isle of Man

  • Bangor, Northern Ireland

  • Colchester

  • Doncaster

  • Milton Keynes

  • Dunfermline, Scotland

  • Wrexham, Wales

On a momentous day, Yahoo News UK looks at some of the record-breaking cities across the UK.

Watch: Eight towns to be given city status as part of Queen's Platinum Jubilee honours

What is the UK's oldest city?

As of Friday's announcement, Colchester has just become the UK's oldest city.

The Essex destination, known as Camulodunum, was immortalisd as Britain's first recorded settlement by Pliny the Elder.

It later became the first place in Britain to be given the status of a Roman 'Colonia' - likened to today's city status - in AD49.

That meant it was also technically Britain's first capital until the Boudican revolt when the title passed to London.

What is the UK's biggest city?

It's actually harder than you might think to work out the rankings for the biggest cities in the UK.

Regardless of which source you look at, London is by far the largest city in the UK, with some estimates putting its population at over 9.4 million.

Most lists put Birmingham as the second city, with a population of around 1.1 million, following high on the list by cities including Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool.

Read more: Platinum Jubilee concert: Who's performing and can I get tickets?

Wide angle aerial cityscape over the city of Birmingham, England, UK
Most lists put Birmingham as the second largest city in the UK. (Getty)

What is the UK's smallest city?

St David's in Pembrokeshire takes the crown for the smallest UK city, with a population of just under 1,400 according to the 2011 census.

New city Stanley on the Falkland Islands isn't much bigger, with a resident population of 2,458 in 2016, according to its most recent census.

What is the UK's highest city?

Some lists put Bradford as England's highest city, with the highest single point within its city boundary standing at 324.9m.

However, others give the title to Sheffield, whose high point is High Stones at nearly 550m.

High Stones, sitting at 548 metres, is the highest point within the boundaries of both Sheffield and South Yorkshire, England.

View of Sheffield city centre at dusk.
Sheffield is home to High Stones, making it the highest city in the UK. (Getty)

Lying within the City of Sheffield, it is also the highest natural point above sea level in any English city.

Other 'high' cities include Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham and Bath, all cities higher than 200m.

Which city is actually two cities?

How can a city be two cities, you may ask?

Well, it can when it's London.

It may be known as the capital city, but within the boundary of Greater London is actually two cities - the City of London, the third smallest city in mainland UK by population size, and the City of Westminster.