Herefordshire

Herefordshire
Ceremonial county
The River Wye at Hereford, with Hereford Cathedral on the left; the Norman south door of Kilpeck Church; and Hereford cattle
Motto(s):  "Pulchra terra Dei donum" ("This fair land is the gift of God")
Coordinates: 52°05′N 2°45′W / 52.083°N 2.750°W / 52.083; -2.750
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	West Midlands
Established	1 April 1998
Established by	Local Government Commission for England
Preceded by	Hereford and Worcester
Origin	Ancient
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Members of Parliament	List of MPs
Police	West Mercia Police
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant	Edward Harley
High Sheriff	Patricia Thomas[1] (2020–21)
Area	2,180 km2 (840 sq mi)
• Ranked	26th of 48
Population (2022)	192,107
• Ranked	45th of 48
Density	88/km2 (230/sq mi)
Unitary authority
Council	Herefordshire Council
Executive	Conservative
Admin HQ	Hereford
Area	2,180 km2 (840 sq mi)
• Ranked	12th of 296
Population	188,719
• Ranked	106th of 296
Density	87/km2 (230/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2	GB-HEF
ONS code	00GA
GSS code	E06000019
ITL	UKG11
Website	herefordshire.gov.uk

Herefordshire (/ˈhɛrɪfərdʃɪər, -ʃər/ HERR-if-ərd-sheer, -⁠shər)^[2] is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and the county town.

The county is one of the most rural in England, with an area of 2,180 square kilometres (840 sq mi) and a population of 187,034, giving a density of 88/km² (228/sq mi). After Hereford (53,112) the largest settlements are Leominster (10,938), Ross-on-Wye (10,582), and Ledbury (8,862). For local government purposes Herefordshire is a unitary authority area.

The centre of Herefordshire is lowland which is crossed by the River Wye and its tributary, the Lugg. To the east are the Malvern Hills, a national landscape, which straddle the boundary with Worcestershire. The south of the county contains the northern part of the Wye Valley, also a national landscape, which stretches into Wales. In the west, the ground rises to the Black Mountains range; this contains the Black Mountain (Twyn Llech), which lies on the Powys border and is the highest point in the county, at 703.6 metres (2,308 ft).

The county is situated in the historic Welsh Marches. The land use is mostly agricultural, and the county is known for its fruit and cider production, and for the Hereford cattle breed.