Northern England cities like Manchester and Leeds, nor the majority of Yorkshire. Northern England is not a homogenous unit, and some have entirely rejected the idea that the North exists as a coherent entity, claiming that considerable cultural differences across the area overwhelm any similarities. Through the North of England run the Pennines, an upland chain, often referred to as "the backbone of England", which stretches from the Tyne Gap to the Peak District. Other uplands in the North include the Lake District with England's highest mountains, the Cheviot Hills adjoining the border with Scotland, and the North York Moors near the
North–South divide (England) UK miners' strike (1984–85) polarised public opinion and led to an increase in the divide. The Economist proposed in a 2017 article that the origins of the North-South divide could be traced back to the Norman Conquest, and the Harrying of the North in which William the Conqueror laid waste to many towns and estates in the North. This significantly reduced the wealth of the northern half of the country, laying the foundations for centuries of economic disadvantage. Many Midlands towns and cities appear, at least historically, to have more in common with their northern counterparts than with those in