In England, the term North–South divide refers to the cultural, economic, and social differences between: * Southern England: the South East and South West, including Greater London and the East of England * Northern England: the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West including Merseyside and Greater Manchester. An article in The Economist published in 2012 argued that the gap between the north and south in life expectancy, political inclinations and economics trends was growing to the extent that they were almost separate countries.