Devon

Devon or Devonshire is a county in South West England.

Table of contents
1 Character of the county
2 Economy
3 Politics and administration
4 Cities, towns and villages
5 Places of interest
6 Rivers
7 Devon as a descriptor
8 Other Devons
9 External links

Character of the county

The Dartmoor National Park lies wholly in Devon, and the Exmoor National Park partly so (the remainder is in Somerset). In addition Devon is the only county in Great Britain (not counting the traditional counties of Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty and Inverness-shire) to have two completely separate coastlines. Both the North and South coasts offer dramatic views: much of both coastlines is named as Heritage Coast, and the South West Coast Path runs along the entire length of both. The inland of the county has much attractive rolling rural scenery, and villages with thatched cob cottages. All these features make Devon a popular holiday destination for many Britons. The variety of scenery also gives the county a rich bird life: a popular challenge for birdwatchers is to spot 100 species in the county in a day.

The landscape of the south coast consists of rolling hills dotted with small towns, such as Dartmouth, Salcombe, Totnes etc. The towns of Torquay and Paignton are the principal seaside resorts on the south coast. The north of the county is very rural with few major towns except Barnstaple, Great Torrington and Bideford.

Economy

Unlike its neighbouring county to the west, Cornwall, Devon is generally relatively prosperous despite the decline of many traditional industries such as fishing and farming. The epidemic of Foot and Mouth (Hoof and Mouth) disease in 2001 harmed much of the farming community severely and had knock-on effects on the rest of the county. The attractive lifestyle of the area is drawing in many new industries which are not heavily dependent upon geographical location; Dartmoor, for instance, has recently seen a significant rise in the percentage of its inhabitants involved in the financial services sector. Devon is one of the rural counties, with the advantages and problems characteristic of these.

Politics and administration

The administrative centre of Devon is the city of Exeter. The city of Plymouth, and the conurbation of Torbay (including the towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham) are now unitary authorities separate from Devon for the purposes of local government.

Cities, towns and villages

Places of interest

Rivers

Devon as a descriptor

Other Devons

External links