Why do people from the Wirral in Merseyside say that they live "on" the wirral

[mkjuk]

rather than "In" Liverpool for instance

[Suzyboo]

Liverpool is a city. The Wirral is an area on the other side of the Mersey containing many small towns that nobody has ever heard of so rather than saying that they live in say Bebington, they would say they lived on the Wirral because then people have a rough idea where they're from even though they have never heard of Bebington

[Quizmonster]

The Wirral is a peninsula and - just as with islands - people live on them.

[spudqueen]

The Wirral is a peninsula, as Quizmonster says, between the rivers Mersey and Dee with the Irish Sea at the top. My children were born ON the Wirral (or on Wirral as the locals would say).