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Traditionally and culturally there are considered to be 92 counties that make up the United Kingdom. Of these, six are provinces in Northern Ireland, with the other 86 being in Great Britain: 39 in England, 34 in Scotland and 13 in Wales. It is believed that the English counties were established between the 9th and 13th centuries.

In May 2013, the British Government formally acknowledged the "continuing role" of these counties in England, including those that are no longer used for administrative purposes. In response to this, many national media outlets and newspapers said that culturally the counties were still of importance, and that many people had still not embraced any administrative changes made by the central government over the last fifty years.

Geographical size

 * Total size of counties in the United Kingdom: 94102 sq./km
 * Average county size in the United Kingdom: 1023 sq./km
 * Largest county in the United Kingdom: Yorkshire at 6066 sq./km
 * Smallest county in the United Kingdom: Clackmannanshire at 48 sq./km


 * Total size of counties in England: 49927 sq./km
 * Average county size in England: 1280 sq./km
 * Largest county in England: Yorkshire at 6066 sq./km
 * Smallest county in England: Rutland at 152 sq./km


 * Total size of counties in Northern Ireland: 5428 sq./km
 * Average county size in Northern Ireland: 905 sq./km
 * Largest county in Northern Ireland: Tyrone at 1260 sq./km
 * Smallest county in Northern Ireland: Armagh at 512 sq./km


 * Total size of counties in Scotland: 29983 sq./km
 * Average county size in Scotland: 882 sq./km
 * Largest county in Scotland: Inverness-shire at 4211 sq./km
 * Smallest county in Scotland: Clackmannanshire at 48 sq./km


 * Total size of counties in Wales: 8764 sq./km
 * Average county size in Wales: 674 sq./km
 * Largest county in Wales: Carmarthenshire at 1095 sq./km
 * Smallest county in Wales: Anglesey at 276 sq./km

Geographical proximity

 * Counties with the most neighbours: Northamptonshire (9), Lanarkshire (8), Shropshire (8), Dumfriesshire (7), Inverness-shire (7), Lincolnshire (7), Yorkshire (7).
 * Counties with the least neighbours: Anglesey (1), Bute (1), Cornwall (1), Caithness (1), Orkney (1), Shetland (1), Cromartyshire (2), East Lothian (2), Kincardineshire (2), Nairnshire (2), Pembrokeshire (2), Wigtownshire (2).

County towns

 * Berwickshire is named after the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. However, during the Anglo-Scottish Wars, Richard III of England wanted to replace James III of Scotland by putting James's brother on the throne instead. He failed to do this, but he did capture the town of Berwick in 1482. It has been a part of Northumberland and England ever since.
 * Kincardineshire is named after the town of Kincardine, though sometime in the Middle Ages the town and its castle ceased to exist. The only visible trace of its existence are the remains of that castle, two miles north-east of the village of Fettercairn. Around 1600, the county town was changed to Stonehaven.
 * Roxburghshire is named after the town of Roxburgh. In the Middle Ages the town was as important as towns such as Stirling, Edinburgh and Perth, and at one time it was David I of Scotland's capital and royal residence. However, in the Scottish Wars of Independence the town was repeatedly captured and recaptured by the Scottish and English armies. Eventually, in 1460, the town and the castle were destroyed. The town of Jedburgh was made the new county town of Roxburghshire and has been so ever since. Two miles away from the site of the old town, there is now a village that is also called Roxburgh.

Major cities
Unlike the county towns, most of the major cities in the United Kingdom grew because of industry and trade, not agriculture. Many of them also grew because they were on the banks of major rivers, but these same rivers were often used to mark out boundaries. Therefore, some cities have grown across county borders, sometimes being split by the river, even though officially the centre of a town is always in one county. The following are the twenty largest cities in the United Kingdom.


 * London - Middlesex

The centre of London is in Middlesex. However, due to its size most of London is actually spread across four counties and there are six counties within the M25 motorway.

On the whole Middlesex and Essex are north of the River Thames, whilst Surrey and Kent are south of the river (with there being a few anomalies such as North Woolwich and the area around Gallions Reach station and parts of Beckton Sewage Treatment Works being north of the river but in Kent). The area from Shepperton in West London, to Harefield and Northwood in North West London, across to Enfield and Potters Bar in North London (though not Barnet and Borehamwood which are in Hertfordshire), and then back down to Poplar in East London make up the county of Middlesex. Thus areas such as the City of London, Westminster, Kensington, Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush, Camden, Islington, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Hackney, Mile End and the Isle Of Dogs are all in Middlesex. Anywhere north of the river and east of Poplar, including Stratford, Ilford and Dagenham, is in Essex.

South of the river from Rotherhithe and Bermondsey down through Dulwich and Crystal Palace to Croydon and New Addington is part of Surrey. Therefore Southwark, Lambeth, Waterloo, Clapham and the suburbs of Wimbledon, Kingston, Sutton and Epsom are all in Surrey. South East London is in Kent, including Lewisham, Beckenham, Orpington, Biggin Hill, Sidcup and Bexleyheath. As well as the four counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey and Kent mentioned previously, parts of Hertfordshire (e.g. Watford) and Buckinghamshire are also within the M25 motorway.


 * Birmingham - Warwickshire

Most of Birmingham is in Warwickshire, alongside areas north-east of the city like Erdington and Sutton Coldfield. However, to the north-west, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, West Bromwich and the suburbs of Smethwick and Handsworth are in Staffordshire. Harborne is also in Staffordshire. From Stechford and Yardley in the east of Birmingham, in a crescent shape to Sparkhill and Moseley and then across to Quinton and up to Oldbury to the west of the city are all in Worcestershire. Halesowen and Stourbridge are also in Worcestershire.


 * Leeds - Yorkshire
 * Glasgow - Lanarkshire
 * Sheffield - Yorkshire

Most of Sheffield is in Yorkshire, although suburbs to the south including Totley, Bradway, Norton, Frecheville and Beighton are in Derbyshire.


 * Bradford - Yorkshire
 * Edinburgh - Midlothian
 * Liverpool - Lancashire

East and north of the River Mersey is Lancashire, all the way down to Widnes and Warrington. The Wirral, and Runcorn are in Cheshire.


 * Manchester - Lancashire

All of Manchester is in Lancashire, with the border between it and Cheshire taking roughly the same route as the southern section of the M60 motorway. Thus Sale, Wythenshawe, Cheadle, Stockport, Hyde and most of Stalybridge are in Cheshire.


 * Bristol - Gloucestershire

The old route of the River Avon marks the border between Gloucestershire and Somerset. Thus Spike Island, Redcliffe and Temple Meads are in Somerset.
 * Wakefield - Yorkshire
 * Cardiff - Glamorgan

All of Cardiff is in Glamorgan except anywhere east of the Rhymney River in eastern Cardiff, including Rumney, St Mellons and, much further away, the city of Newport, which are all in Monmouthshire.


 * Coventry - Warwickshire
 * Nottingham - Nottinghamshire
 * Leicester - Leicestershire
 * Sunderland - Durham
 * Belfast - Antrim

Parts of east and south Belfast are in Down.


 * Newcastle - Northumberland

The route of the River Tyne marks the northern border between Northumberland and Durham. Gateshead, Hebburn, Jarrow and on the coast South Shields, are all in Durham.


 * Brighton - Sussex
 * Hull - Yorkshire