Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire
Image:EnglandCambridgeshire.png
Geography
Status Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county
Region East of England
Area
- Total
- Admin. council
- Admin. area
Ranked 15th
3,389 km²
Ranked 15th
3,046 km²
Admin HQ Cambridge
ISO 3166-2 GB-CAM
ONS code 12
NUTS 3 UKH12
Demographics
Population
- Total (2004 est.)
- Density
- Admin. council
- Admin. pop.
Ranked 29th
737,900
217 / km²
Ranked 20th
578,800
Ethnicity 94.6% White
2.6% S.Asian
Politics
Arms of Cambridgeshire County Council
Cambridgeshire County Council
Executive Conservative
Members of Parliament
Districts
Image:Cambridgeshire_Ceremonial_Numbered.png
  1. Cambridge
  2. South Cambridgeshire
  3. Huntingdonshire
  4. Fenland
  5. East Cambridgeshire
  6. Peterborough (Unitary)

Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. Cambridgeshire contains most of the region known as Silicon Fen. The county town is Cambridge.

Cambridgeshire today is the product of several local government unifications. In 1888 when county councils where introduced, two were set up, following the traditional division of Cambridgeshire into the area in the south around Cambridge, and the liberty of the Isle of Ely. In 1965, these two administrative counties were merged to form Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. In 1974, this then merged with the county to the west, Huntingdon and Peterborough (which had been created in 1965 by the merger of Huntingdonshire with the Soke of Peterborough - a part of Northamptonshire which had its own county council). The resulting county was called simply 'Cambridgeshire'.

Since 1998 the City of Peterborough has been a separately administered area, as a unitary authority, but is associated with Cambridgeshire for ceremonial purposes, and functions such as policing, the fire service, and the Lieutenancy.

Famous people include Oliver Cromwell, John Major (Former MP of Huntingdonshire and Prime Minister) and Henry Royce, all from Huntingdonshire. Pink Floyd also originates from Cambridgeshire.

Cambridgeshire is twinned with Kreis Viersen in Germany.

Although large parts of the county are extremely low-lying, the highest point is in the village of Great Chishill at 146m/480ft. Other prominent hills are Little Trees Hill and Wandlebury Hill in the Gog Magog Downs, Rivey Hill above Linton, Rowley's Hill and the Madingley Hills.

In 2002, the conservation charity Plantlife unofficially designated Cambridgeshire's county flower as the Pasqueflower.

Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such as a Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire; the traditional nickname for people from Cambridgeshire is 'Cambridgeshire Camel' or 'Cambridgeshire Crane', referring to the drainage engines which kept the low-lying land dry.

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Cambridgeshire at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Year Regional Gross Value Added4 Agriculture1 Industry2 Services3
1995 5,896 228 1,646 4,022
2000 7,996 166 2,029 5,801
2003 10,154 207 2,195 7,752

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

Settlements

These are the settlements in Cambridgeshire with a town charter, city status or a population over 5,000.

The town of Newmarket is surrounded on three sides by Cambridgeshire, being connected by a narrow strip of land to the rest of Suffolk.

Places of interest

 

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United Kingdom | England | Traditional counties of England Flag of England

Counties that originate prior to 1889

Bedfordshire | Berkshire | Buckinghamshire | Cambridgeshire | Cheshire | Cornwall | Cumberland | Derbyshire | Devon | Dorset | Durham | Essex | Gloucestershire | Hampshire | Herefordshire | Hertfordshire | Huntingdonshire | Kent | Lancashire | Leicestershire | Lincolnshire | Middlesex | Norfolk | Northamptonshire | Northumberland | Nottinghamshire | Oxfordshire | Rutland | Shropshire | Somerset | Staffordshire | Suffolk | Surrey | Sussex | Warwickshire | Westmorland | Wiltshire | Worcestershire | Yorkshire

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