Cumbria

Cumbria is a ceremonial county located in North West England.

It sits near the Irish Sea to the west. To the north, it borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders. The county is surrounded by several other English counties. These include Northumberland and County Durham to the east. North Yorkshire lies to the south-east. Lancashire is located to the south. Cumbria is a predominantly rural area. This means it consists mostly of open countryside rather than large cities. The largest settlement in the county is the city of Carlisle.

The geography of Cumbria is defined by its many upland areas. These high lands fringe the Vale of Eden. The Vale of Eden is a wide valley created by the River Eden. This river runs from the south-east to the north-west. It eventually broadens into the Solway Plain near Carlisle. To the north-east, you will find part of the Border Moors. The eastern border includes part of the North Pennines. This area is a designated national landscape.

South of the valley are the Orton Fells and the Howgill Fells. These areas are part of the Yorkshire Dales national park.

The south-west of the county contains the Lake District. This is a large upland area with great importance. It is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Lake District contains Scafell Pike. This is the highest mountain in England, standing at 3,208 feet.

The region also features many famous lakes. Windermere is the longest and largest lake in the area. Wast Water is the deepest lake in the county. The coastline is long and bordered by a plain. The north-west coast is part of the Solway Firth. The south coast includes the Cartmel and Furness peninsulas.

Cumbria has a deep history involving many different cultures. During the Neolithic period, people built stone circles and henges. One famous example is the Castlerigg stone circle.

This area was also a major centre for stone axe production. The Langdale axe factory produced items found across Great Britain. Later, the Romans occupied much of the region. They built Hadrian's Wall through the north of the county.

The name Cumbria comes from the term for its inhabitants. The people called themselves *kombroges, which means "compatriots." This is similar to the Welsh word for Wales, Cymru. In the Early Middle Ages, the area was part of kingdoms like Rheged and Strathclyde. It was often a contested border between England and Scotland.

The Industrial Revolution changed the economy of the region. Mining took place on the Cumberland coalfield. In the west, towns like Workington and Millom developed iron and steel mills. Barrow-in-Furness became a major centre for shipbuilding.

In the 19th century, the area gained fame through the Romantic movement. Poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge were inspired by the landscape. The writer Beatrix Potter also lived here. She became a major landowner and gave much of her land to the National Trust. This helped create the Lake District National Park in 1951. This park is now the largest in England.

Today, tourism is the largest and most widespread industry. Cumbria attracts over 47 million visitors every year. The Lake District National Park alone sees about 15.8 million visitors annually. Most of these people visit to see the natural beauty. However, fewer than 50,000 people live permanently within the Lake District. Many residents work in the tourism sector. Other people work for large industrial employers. For example, BAE Systems in Barrow employs around 14,500 people. The Sellafield nuclear processing site employs about 10,000 people.

Administrative structures in Cumbria have changed recently. The county was originally created in 1974. It combined Cumberland, Westmorland, and parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire. In 2023, the old council system was replaced. Now, there are two unitary authority areas. These are Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council. These two councils work together through the Cumbria Combined Authority.

This modern system helps manage the diverse needs of the rural and coastal areas.