A Metropolitan County is a GEOGRAPHIC AREA.

The six Metropolitan Counties formed the upper tier of a two-tier local government structure in England between 1974 and 1986, when they were abolished and the district councils became unitary administrations. The Metropolitan County areas are still used for statistical purposes however.

For further information on Metropolitan Counties, see the Office for National Statistics website at: Glossary.

This supporting information is also known by these names:

Context	Alias
shortname	MCTY
plural	Metropolitan Counties