Concept

Devon

Summary
Devon (ˈdɛvən , historically also known as Devonshire -ʃɪər,_-ʃər , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. The county borders the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west. Plymouth is the largest settlement. The county has an area of and a population of 1,194,166. The largest settlements after Plymouth (264,695) are the city of Exeter (130,709) and the seaside resorts of Torquay and Paignton, which have a combined population of 115,410. They all are located along the south coast, which is the most populous part of the county; Barnstaple (46,619) and Tiverton (22,291) are the largest towns in the north and centre respectively. For administrative purposes most of Devon is a two-tier county governed by Devon County Council and eight district councils, with the City of Plymouth and Torbay districts forming unitary authorites governed by Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council respectively. Devon has a varied and attractive geography; it contains two national parks and parts of five areas of outstanding natural beauty. Dartmoor and a part of Exmoor are within the county. They are the source of most of the county's rivers, including the Taw, Dart, and Exe. The longest river is the Tamar, which forms most of the border with Cornwall and rises in the Devon's northwest hills. The southeast coast is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and characterised by tall cliffs which reveal the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous geology of the region. The county gives its name to the Devonian geologic period, which includes the slates and sandstones of the north coast. During the Iron Age, Roman and the early medieval periods the county was the homeland of the Dumnonii Celtic Britons. The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain resulted in the partial assimilation of Dumnonia into the kingdom of Wessex during the eighth and ninth centuries, and the western boundary with Cornwall was set at the Tamar by king Æthelstan in 936.
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.