Birmingham is a large city in central England, with about one million inhabitants of the city itself and about 3 million in the metropolitan area. It is the second largest city in the UK after London. Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice, and more trees per head of population that any other city in Europe. It was the birthplace of the industrial revolution and the home of the Lunar Society. In more recent times it was home to J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings. The city has a distinctive local dialect known as 'Brummie' which is thought by linguists to be similar to how William Shakespeare spoke, as Stratford-on-Avon is very close to Birmingham. The city is the original home of rock singer Ozzy Osbourne and many other musicians. It also has its own local cuisine, a curry dish known as a 'balti'. Many other cities and towns around the world have been proud to name themselves after Birmingham (not to mention a crater on the moon). The largest of these namesakes is situated in Alabama, USA.