South Yorkshire

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A metropolitan and ceremonial county in England. It has an area of 1,552 km² and a population of around 1,278,400.

Geography

As a ceremonial county, it borders onto Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

Major towns

Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham & Barnsley.

Each of these settlements gives its name to a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire - the City of Sheffield, the borough of Doncaster, the borough of Barnsley and the borough of Rotherham.

History

The settlements in South Yorkshire have grown up around the industries of mining and steel manufacturing. The main mining industry was coal which was concentrated to the north and east of the county. There were also iron deposits which were mined in the area. The rivers running off the Pennines to the west of the county supported the steel industry that is concentrated in the city of Sheffield. The proximity of the iron and coal also made this an ideal place for steel manufacture. It was created as a metropolitan county in 1974 from the southern part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. It initially had its own council. In 1986, the metropolitan county councils were abolished, with control devolving to the boroughs. These metropolitan districts are now part of the larger region of Yorkshire and the Humber. Although the county council was abolished, South Yorkshire still exists as a ceremonial county - there is a Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire and also a High Sheriff.

Economy

As one of the least prosperous areas in Western Europe, South Yorkshire has been targeted for funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

Yorkshire County Flag