Herefordshire

Herefordshire
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Borders	Gloucestershire Monmouthshire Radnorshire Shropshire Worcestershire
Population	188,719
Area (sq mi)	837 sq mi

Herefordshire is a county of western England, bordering Wales; it has boundaries with the English counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire and the Welsh counties of Radnorshire and Monmouthshire. The county town is Hereford, a cathedral city; other centres include Leominster (pronounced Lemster), Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye. The landscape is gently hilly, and the local agriculture specialises in dairying and fruit farming (Herefordshire is known for its cider production from the many orchards). Hereford is the base of the SAS special forces unit.

Herefordshire is the only English county to lie entirely west of the River Severn. It is one of England's most sparsely populated counties, being mainly rural in character, with Hereford (pop. 53,000) being the only settlement of any size; no other settlement in the county has a population exceeding 11,000 as of the 2021 Census. The west of the county is characterised by the Black Mountains, which straddle the border with Wales and is home to Black Mountain (2,308 ft), the highest point in England outside the north.

Administration

The traditional county Herefordshire is almost entirely co-extensive with the area of Herefordshire Council.