North-east England is a region in the United Kingdom, comprising Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, the Tees Valley and a small part of North Yorkshire.
The principal city of the region is Newcastle upon Tyne; the region's other cities are Sunderland and Durham. Middlesbrough is another large town. Conversely, Northumberland (to the north of all these cities) is England's most sparsely-populated county; it contains the highest point in the North East, The Cheviot, at 815m.
The region has a rich natural heritage, and includes the Northumberland National Park. The North East has several different accents (the Northern English dialect). A referendum, held on 4 November 2004, rejected the establishment of an elected regional assembly for the region.