Cumbria
Encyclopedia : C : CU : CUM : Cumbria
| |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Status | Ceremonial & Non-metropolitan county |
| Origin | 1974 |
| Region | North West England |
| Area - Total - Admin. council | Ranked 3rd 6,768 km² Ranked 2nd |
| Admin HQ | Carlisle |
| GB-CMA | |
| ONS code | 16 |
| NUTS 3 | UKD11/12 |
| Demographics | |
| Population - Total (2004 est.) - Density - Admin. Council | Ranked {{English cerem counties / km² Ranked {{English admin counties |
| Ethnicity | 99.3% White |
| Politics | |
 Cumbria County Council http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/ | |
| Executive | |
| Members of Parliament | |
| Districts | |
 | |
Cumbria is home to the Lake District National Park, considered one of the most beautiful areas of the United Kingdom. The area has provided inspiration for generations of British and foreign artists, writers and musicians.
The highest point of the county (and of the whole of England) is Scafell Pike at 978 m (3209 ft). In fact, all the land in England that is over 3,000 feet is in this county.
Parts of Hadrian's Wall can be found in the northernmost reaches of the county, in and around Carlisle.
Boundaries and divisions
Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy areas of Dumfries and Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale in Scotland.The boundaries are along the Irish Sea to Morecambe Bay in the west, and along the Pennines to the east. Cumbria's northern boundary stretches from the Solway Firth along the border with Scotland to Northumberland.
It is made up of six districts: Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Copeland, Eden and South Lakeland.
The county returns 6 MPs to the House of Commons representing the constituencies of Carlisle, Penrith & The Border, Workington, Copeland, Westmorland and Lonsdale and Barrow & Furness.
History
The modern county of Cumbria was created in 1974, by combining the area of the abolished administrative counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, plus the Furness part of Lancashire, and a of Yorkshire (the former Sedbergh Rural District). The name "Cumbria" has been used for the region for centuries.Following the creation of Cumbria as a non-metropolitan county, some people, particularly those born or brought up in the area, prefer to refer to the Furness area by its traditional county name of "Lancashire". Others, including local government, promotional material for the area, the Lake District National Park Authority, and most visitors describe the area as being in "Cumbria".
The culture of the area was predominantly Celtic until quite late (see Rheged), and the name derives from their name for the area, in the Cumbric language. It is etymologically connected to the Welsh term Cymru, meaning "Wales". Cumbria remains one of the most Celtic areas of England.
Dialect
The Cumbrian dialect is spoken throughout the region. There is quite a large variation in accent and words, especially between north and south.
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of East Cumbria at current basic prices [published] (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.| Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,679 | 148 | 902 | 1,629 |
| 2000 | 2,843 | 120 | 809 | 1,914 |
| 2003 | 3,388 | 129 | 924 | 2,335 |
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of West Cumbria at current basic prices [published] (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,246 | 63 | 1,294 | 888 |
| 2000 | 2,415 | 53 | 1,212 | 1,150 |
| 2003 | 2,870 | 60 | 1,420 | 1,390 |
Note 1: includes hunting and forestry
Note 2: includes energy and construction
Note 3: includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
Note 4: Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
Towns and villages
See the List of places in Cumbria.People of interest
- Sir John Barrow
- Chris Bonington
- Donald Campbell
- Fletcher Christian
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Douglas Ferreira
- Margaret Fell
- Francis Howgill
- Stan Laurel
- Norman Nicholson
- Beatrix Potter
- Hardwicke Rawnsley
- George Romney
- John Ruskin
- Alfred Wainwright
- William Wordsworth
- British Sea Power
Places of interest
- Bassenthwaite Lake
- Brantwood
- Buttermere
- Cartmel Priory
- Cockermouth, "Gem" Town
- Coniston Water
- Crummock Water
- Cumbria Coastal Way long distance footpath
- Cumbria Way long distance footpath
- Dales Way long distance footpath
- Derwent Water
- Eden Valley Railway — heritage railway
- Ennerdale Water
- Firbank Fell
- Fisher Tarn Reservoir
- Furness Abbey
- Haig Colliery Mining Museum
- Harrison Stickle
- Hartley Castle
- Haweswater
- Hodbarrow Nature Reserve
- Holker Hall
- Kentmere
- Killington Reservoir
- Kirkby Lonsdale
- Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway — heritage railway
- Windermere (the lake)
- Lanercost Priory
- Levens Hall
- The former site of the Beast Banks post office in Longsleddale.
- Millom Folk Museum
- National Nature Reserves in Cumbria
- Pennine Way long distance footpath
- Piel Island
- Quaker tapestry, Kendal
- RAF Millom Museum
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway — heritage railway
- Rheged
- Rydal Water
- Seathwaite Tarn
- Sellafield Nuclear Reprocessing Facility
- Sizergh Castle & Garden
- Staveley
- Swarthmoor Hall
- Thirlmere
- Ullswater
- Wast Water
- Whitehaven
- Whinfell Forest
See Also
External links
- [Official Tourist Board Website]
- [Gateway to the Western Lake District]
- [Cumbria Tourist and Historical Website]
- [Cumbria Tourist Guide]
- [Visit South West Lake District]
- [Cumbrian link directory]
| United Kingdom | England | Ceremonial counties of England | |
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| Districts of North West England |
|
| Allerdale | Barrow-in-Furness | Blackburn with Darwen | Blackpool | Bolton | Burnley | Bury | Carlisle | Chester | Chorley | Congleton | Copeland | Crewe and Nantwich | Eden | Ellesmere Port and Neston | Fylde | Halton | Hyndburn | Knowsley | Lancaster | Liverpool | Macclesfield | Manchester | Oldham | Pendle | Preston | Ribble Valley | Rochdale | Rossendale | St Helens | Salford | Sefton | South Lakeland | South Ribble | Stockport | Tameside | Trafford | Vale Royal | Warrington | West Lancashire | Wigan | Wirral | Wyre | |
|
Counties with multiple districts: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside |
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