Lancashire

Lancashire
Non-metropolitan and ceremonial county
Central Pier and the Tower, Blackpool; the Ashton Memorial, Lancaster; and a view of Clitheroe with the Forest of Bowland beyond
Coordinates: 53°48′N 2°36′W / 53.8°N 2.6°W / 53.8; -2.6
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	North West England
Established	c. 1182[1]
Origin	Honour of Lancaster
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
UK Parliament	16 MPs
Police	Lancashire Constabulary
Largest city	Preston
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant	Amanda Parker[2]
High Sheriff	David Taylor[3]
Area [4]	3,066 km2 (1,184 sq mi)
• Rank	17th of 48
Population  (2022)[4]	1,550,490
• Rank	8th of 48
• Density	506/km2 (1,310/sq mi)
Ethnicity  (2021)[5]	82.2% White 9.2% Asian 3.8% Black 2.8% mixed 2.0% other
Non-metropolitan county
County council	Lancashire County Council
Control	Conservative
Admin HQ	Preston
Area [6]	2,894 km2 (1,117 sq mi)
• Rank	9th of 21
Population  (2022)[6]	1,253,154
• Rank	4th of 21
• Density	433/km2 (1,120/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2	GB-LAN
GSS code	E10000017
ITL	TLD43
Website	lancashire.gov.uk
Unitary authorities
Councils	Blackpool Council Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Districts
Districts of Lancashire   Unitary   County council area
Districts	List Lancaster Wyre Blackpool Fylde Preston Ribble Valley South Ribble Hyndburn Burnley Pendle West Lancashire Chorley Blackburn with Darwen Rossendale

Lancashire (/ˈlæŋkəʃər/ LAN-kə-shər, /-ʃɪər/ -⁠sheer; abbreviated Lancs) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The largest settlement is Preston, and the county town is the city of Lancaster.^[7][8][9]

The county has an area of 3,079 square kilometres (1,189 sq mi) and a population of 1,490,300. Preston is located near the centre of the county, which is urbanised and includes the towns of Blackburn and Burnley; the seaside resort of Blackpool lies to the west, and Lancaster is in the north.^[10] For local government purposes the ceremonial county of Lancashire comprises the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, with twelve districts, and two unitary authority areas: Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. Lancashire County Council and the two unitary councils collaborate through the Lancashire Combined County Authority. The county historically included northern Greater Manchester and Merseyside, the Furness and Cartmel peninsulas of Cumbria, and part of northern Cheshire, but excluded the eastern part of the Forest of Bowland.

The west of Lancashire contains flat coastal plains: the West Lancashire coastal plain to the south and the Fylde in the centre. The north-western coast is hilly and contains part of Arnside and Silverdale, a national landscape. The east of the county is upland, with the West Pennine Moors in the south-east and the Forest of Bowland in the north-east; Bowland has also been designated a national landscape. The major rivers of the county are, from north to south, the Lune, the Wyre, and the Ribble, which all flow west into the Irish Sea. The highest point in Lancashire is either Gragareth or Green Hill, both approximately 628 m (2,060 ft) high and located in the far north-east of the county.

Lancashire was founded in the 12th century; in the Domesday Book of 1086 much of what would become the county is treated as part of Yorkshire and Cheshire. Until the Early Modern period the county was a comparatively poor backwater, although in 1351 it became a palatine, with a semi-independent judicial system. This changed during the Industrial Revolution, when the county rapidly industrialised; until 1974 it included both Liverpool, a major port, and Manchester, which with its surrounding towns dominated the manufacture of textiles.^[11] The Lancashire coalfield was also exploited, with many collieries opening. By 1971 Lancashire had a population of 5,118,405, which made it the most heavily populated county in the United Kingdom after Greater London.