Denbighshire

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Denbighshire Sir Ddinbych (Welsh)
County
Left to Right: The Eglwyseg valley, northeast of Llangollen Dechrau a diwedd, Prestatyn, marking Offa's Dyke Path's end Rhuddlan Castle along the River Clwyd
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Latin: Unwn i Wneud Da, lit. 'we unite to do good'
Denbighshire shown within Wales
Coordinates: 53°05′12″N 3°21′16″W / 53.08667°N 3.35444°W / 53.08667; -3.35444
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Wales
Preserved county	Clwyd
Incorporated	1 April 1996
Administrative HQ	Ruthin
Government [1]
• Type	Principal council
• Body	Denbighshire County Council
• Control	No overall control
• MPs	4 MPs Gill German (L) Becky Gittins (L) Claire Hughes (L) Liz Saville Roberts (PC)
• MSs	3 MSs Gareth Davies (C) Darren Millar (C) Ken Skates (L) +4 regional members
Area [2]
• Total	323 sq mi (837 km2)
• Rank	8th
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	96,558
• Rank	16th
• Density	300/sq mi (115/km2)
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
ISO 3166 code	GB-DEN
GSS code	W06000004
Website	denbighshire.gov.uk

Denbighshire (/ˈdɛnbiʃər, -ʃɪər/ DEN-bee-shər, -⁠sheer;^[3] Welsh: Sir Ddinbych [ˌsiːr ˈðɪnbɨχ]) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthin is the administrative centre. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name.

Denbighshire has an area of 326 square miles (840 km²) and a population of 95,800, making it sparsely populated. The most populous area is the coast, where Rhyl and Prestatyn form a single built-up area with a population of 46,267. The next-largest towns are Denbigh, Ruthin, and Rhuddlan, while St Asaph is its only city. All of these settlements are in the northern half of the county; the south is even less densely populated, and the only towns are Corwen and Llangollen.

The geography of Denbighshire is defined by the broad valley of the River Clwyd, which is surrounded by rolling hills on all sides except the north, where it reaches the coast. The Vale of Clwyd, the lower valley, is given over to crops, while cattle and sheep graze the uplands. The Clwydian Range in the east is part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewydd-Llanelwy) Palaeolithic site has Neanderthal remains of some 225,000 years ago. The county is also home to several medieval castles, including Castell Dinas Brân, Denbigh, and Rhuddlan, as well as St Asaph Cathedral. Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod takes place in the town each July.^[4]