Cumbria

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This county has a population of 496,000 and covers 2,635 square miles (6,826 sq km). It is situated in the extreme North West of England. Cumbria is the second largest Shire County in England and contains almost half of the whole land area of the North West region (48%). The county town is Carlisle.

In Cumbria there are the popular towns of Maryport, Brough, Windermere, Longtown, Hawkshead, Kirkby Lonsdale, Tebay, Longtown, Carlisle, Maryport, Kendal, Penrith, Port Carlisle, Keswick, Whitehaven, Workington and Appleby.

Geography

Cumbria is located in the North West of England. The County boundary is naturally defined by the Irish Sea to the West, from the Solway Firth to Morecambe Bay, with the Scottish border to the north and the Pennine hills to the east. It includes the scenic area of the Lake District, which as its name implies contains a series of beautiful lakes in mountainous country. Hill walking and climbing and watersports are popular in this area. Cumbria is a County of different landscapes, which reflect a complex geology. A central 'dome' of high relief, which forms most of the Lake District National Park, dominates the physical geography of Cumbria. Cumbria's sixteen lakes fall within this area. Many of the Countys' rivers originate from here and radiate outwards. However, the County's longest river, the Eden, rises in the Pennines and flows towards the Solway Firth, across one of the substantial lowland valleys to be found around the central 'dome'. A substantial part of Cumbria lies above 300 metres.Popular towns are Maryport, Brough, Windermere, Longtown, Hawkshead, Kirkby Lonsdale, Tebay, Longtown, Carlisle, Maryport, Kendal, Penrith, Port Carlisle, Keswick, Whitehaven, Workington and Appleby.

Industry

Tourism is a major source of revenue, hill sheep farming is still a common agricultural activity, salmon fishing, and mineral extraction are the primary industries.

History

Cumbria was inhabited along the coast at a very early stage. During the Neolithic Age, settlers moved inland to farm. Numerous stone circles dot the landscape such as the one at Caslterigg near Keswick. The Romans built roads and forts and in AD 138 they constructed Hadrian's Wall, an 80 mile defensive structure, stretching from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the east to Bowness on Solway in the west. After the Romans left in the 5th Century, the Celtic inhabitants of Cumbria, then known as the Kingdom of Rheged, began to be displaced by an influx of Anglo-Saxon immigrants. The Celts were pushed into the central highlands of the county and named the area Cymry (the Welsh for the compatriots) from which the name Cumbria is derived. King Oswy of Northumbria finally broke the Celt's grip on the county around 640 ad. A later invasion of the county by viking settlers resulted in many changes to place names and language. The ownership of Cumbria was disputed between Scotland and England until 1216.

Places of Interest

Low Mead, Bassenthwaite Lake, Bewcastle, Black Combe, Brantwood, Brougham Hall, Brougham Castle, Buttermere, Cartmel Priory, Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cockermouth "Gem" Town, Coniston Water, Crummock Water, Cumbria Coastal, Cumbria Way, Dales Way, Derwent Water, Eden Valley Railway, Ennerdale Water, Fell Foot Park, Firbank Fell, Fisher Tarn Reservoir, Furness, Furness Abbey, Haig Colliery Mining Museum, Harrison Stickle, Hartley Castle, Haweswater, Hodbarrow Nature Reserve, Holker Hall, Kentmere, Killington Reservoir, Kirkby Lonsdale, Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, Langwathby station and Brief Encounters Cafe, Lake Windermere, Lanercost Priory, Laurel & Hardy Museum, Levens Hall, Millom, Millom Folk Museum, National Nature Reserves in Cumbria, Pennine Way, Piel Island, Quaker tapestry in Kendal, RAF Millom Museum, Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, Rheged Remembered, Rydal Water, Seathwaite Tarn, Sellafield Nuclear Reprocessing Facility, Silecroft, Sizergh Castle & Garden, Staveley, Swarthmoor Hall, Thirlmere, Ullswater, Vickerstown, Wast Water, Whitehaven, Whinfell Forest, Wreay near Carlisle.