There are 37 Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. In the United Kingdom, a Scheduled Monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building that has been given protection against unauthorised change by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. Scheduled Monuments are defined in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the National Heritage Act 1983. They are also referred to as Scheduled Ancient Monuments. There are about 18,300 Scheduled Monument entries on the list, which is maintained by English Heritage; more than one site can be included in a single entry. While a Scheduled Monument can also be recognised as a listed building, English Heritage considers listed building status as a better way of protecting buildings than Scheduled Monument status.