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This article is about the region. For the European constituency, see South West England (European Parliament constituency). South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament.
South West England
South West
South West region shown within England
Geography
Status Region
Area
— Total		 Ranked 1st
23,829 km²
9,200 sq mi
NUTS 1 UKK
Demographics
Population
— Total
— Density		 Ranked 7th
4,928,458
207/km² (536/sq mi)
GDP per capita £15,897 (4th)
Government
HQ Bristol / Plymouth
Assembly
— Type		 South West
not directly elected
Regional development South West of England RDA
European parliament South West England
Website

South West England is one of the regions of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. The following table is a list of United Kingdom nations by area with England further broken down by Government Office Regions. To help compare sizes of different geographic regions we list here Areas between 10 km² (1000 Hectares and 100 km² (10000 hectares Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, ( NUTS) for the French nomenclature d'unités territoriales statistiques, is a Geocode In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology A list of the United Kingdom 's four constituent countries (and English regions) by population as recorded by the 2001 Census: See also The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency A list of United Kingdom nations and English regions by GDP per capita in GBP as at 2002 Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. " Regional Assembly " is the name which has been adopted by the English bodies established as regional chambers under the Regional Development Agencies The South West Regional Assembly (SWRA is the regional assembly for the South West region of England, established in 1999. A regional development agency (RDA is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development primarily economic of one of England 's Government Office The South West of England Regional Development Agency leads the development of a sustainable economy in the South West England, investing to unlock the region’s business potential South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one It is the largest such region in terms of area, and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar This includes the area often known as the West Country, and much of Wessex. The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. The size of the region is shown by the fact that the northern part of Gloucestershire, near Chipping Campden, is as close to the Scottish border as it is to the tip of Cornwall. Chipping Campden is a small Market town within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England.

Traditionally, the South West of England has been well known for producing Cheddar cheese, which originated in the Somerset village of Cheddar, for Devon cream teas, and for cider. Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard pale yellow to off-white and sometimes sharp-tasting Cheese from the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county Cheddar is a large Village and Civil parish in the district of Sedgemoor in the English county of Somerset. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name A Cream tea, Devonshire tea or Cornish cream tea is Tea taken with a combination of Scones, Clotted cream, and Jam For the non-alcoholic beverage commonly known in the US as "cider" see Apple cider. It is now probably equally well known as the home of the Eden Project, Aardman Animations, the Glastonbury festival, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, trip hop music, Cornwall's seafood restaurants and surfing beaches. The Eden Project is a visitor attraction including the world's largest greenhouse Aardman Animations Ltd, also known as Aardman Studios, is an Academy Award -winning British Animation studio based in Bristol, For the classical music and theatre festivals co-founded by Rutland Boughton between 1914 and 1926 see Glastonbury Festival (1914-1925 The The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is held during August in Bristol, United Kingdom. Trip hop is a music Genre also known as the Bristol sound or Bristol acid rap. Surfing is a surface water sport in which the participant is carried along the face of a breaking wave, most commonly using a Surfboard, although wave-riders Two National Parks and four World Heritage Sites fall within the region's boundaries. The national parks of England and Wales are areas of relatively undeveloped and scenic landscape that are designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 The List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom is a list of sites designated by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom.

Contents

Geography

High Willhays on Dartmoor, Devon: the region's highest point.
High Willhays on Dartmoor, Devon: the region's highest point. High Willhays is the highest point on Dartmoor, Devon, at 621 m (2039 ft above sea level and the highest point in Great Britain south Dartmoor is an area of Moorland in the centre of Devon, England. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name

Geology & landscape

Most of the South West occupies a peninsula between the English Channel and Bristol Channel. A peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by Water but connected to Mainland via an Isthmus. The Bristol Channel ( Môr Hafren) is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset It has 702 miles (1,130 km) of coastline—the longest of any region of England—much of which is now protected from further substantial development because of its environmental importance, and which contributes to the region’s attractiveness to tourists and residents.

Geologically the region is divided into the largely igneous and metamorphic west and sedimentary east, the dividing line slightly to the west of the River Exe. The River Exe in England rises near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast Cornwall and West Devon's landscape is of rocky coastline and high moorland, notably at Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor National Park. Bodmin Moor ( Cornish: Goen Bren) is a Granite Moorland in northeastern Cornwall, UK, 208 km² (80 sq mile in size dating Dartmoor is an area of Moorland in the centre of Devon, England. A national park is a reserve of land usually declared and owned by a national Government, protected from most Human development and pollution These are due to the granite and slate that underlie the area. Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. Slate is a fine-grained foliated homogeneous, Metamorphic rock derived from an original Shale -type Sedimentary rock composed of Clay The highest point of the region is High Willhays, at 2,039 feet (621 m), on Dartmoor. High Willhays is the highest point on Dartmoor, Devon, at 621 m (2039 ft above sea level and the highest point in Great Britain south Dartmoor is an area of Moorland in the centre of Devon, England. In North Devon the slates of the west and limestones of the east meet at Exmoor National Park. Exmoor is a National Park situated on the Bristol Channel coast of south west England The variety of rocks of similar ages seen here have led to the county's name being lent to that of the Devonian period. The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era spanning from to  million years ago.

The east of the region is characterised by wide, flat clay vales and chalk and limestone downland. Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 A downland is an area of open Chalk Hills This term is especially used to describe the Chalk countryside in southern England. The vales, with good irrigation, are home to the region's dairy agriculture. The Blackmore Vale was Thomas Hardy's "Vale of the Little Dairies"; another, the Somerset Levels was created by reclaiming wetlands. The Blackmore Vale (less commonly spelt Blackmoor) is a Vale, or wide Valley, in North Dorset, and to a lesser extent South Thomas Hardy OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928 was an English novelist Short story writer and poet of the naturalist movement though he saw The Somerset Levels (or Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly called is a sparsely populated Wetland area of central Somerset The Southern England Chalk Formation extends into the region, creating a series of high, sparsely populated and archaeologically rich downs, most famously Salisbury Plain, but also Cranborne Chase, the Dorset Downs and the Purbeck Hills. KentGeologyWealdenDomeSimplesvg|thumb|The Wealden Anticline]] The Chalk Formation of Southern England is a system of Chalk Downland in Salisbury Plain is a Chalk Plateau in central southern England covering. Cranborne Chase ( is a Chalk Plateau in central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire The Dorset Downs are an area of Chalk Downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. The Purbeck Hills and South Dorset Downs are a ridge of Chalk downs in Dorset, England. These downs are the principal area of arable agriculture in the region. In Geography, arable land (from Latin arare, to Plough) is an agricultural term meaning land that can be used for Limestone is also notable in the region, at the Cotswolds, Quantock Hills and Mendip Hills, where they support sheep farming. See also Cotswold The Cotswolds is a range of Hills in west-central England, sometimes called the "Heart of England" The Quantock Hills are a range of Hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England. The Mendip Hills (commonly called The Mendips) are a range of Limestone hills situated to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset All of the principal rock types can be seen on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon, where they document the entire Mesozoic era from west to east. The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon.

Settlements

Pulteney Bridge in Georgian Bath, Somerset: the entire city is a World Heritage Site.
Pulteney Bridge in Georgian Bath, Somerset: the entire city is a World Heritage Site. Pulteney Bridge is a Bridge that crosses the River Avon, in Bath, England and completed in 1773.

The South West region is largely rural, with many small towns and villages; a higher proportion of people live in such areas than in any other English region. The largest cities and towns are Bristol, Plymouth, Bournemouth and Poole (collectively the South East Dorset conurbation), Swindon, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Torbay, Exeter, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Salisbury, Taunton and Weymouth. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. Bournemouth ( is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. Poole ( is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset on the south coast of England The South east Dorset conurbation (also known as the South Dorset conurbation, Poole-Bournemouth urban area and Bournemouth urban area) is a multi-centred Swindon ( is a large town in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in the South West of England, midway between Bristol (64 km / 40 miles Gloucester (ˈɡlɒstɚ) is a city, district and County town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Education Geography There are three main towns around the bay Torquay in the north Paignton in the centre and Brixham in the south which have become connected Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Weston-super-Mare is a Seaside resort town and Civil parish in North Somerset, England. Salisbury (ˈsɒlzbri ˈsɔːlzbri ('Solzbry' or ˈzɔːwzbri ('Zawzbry' — moving from RP to local dialect) is a cathedral city in the Taunton is the County town of Somerset, England. The Unparished area (or former Municipal borough) of Taunton has a Population Weymouth (ˈweɪməθ is a town in Dorset, England situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast The population of the South West is about five million.

Transport

The region lies on several main line railways. This is a list of railway lines in Great Britain that are still in use The Great Western Main Line runs from London to Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance in the far west of Cornwall. The Great Western Main Line is a main line Railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington station to Temple Meads Penzance (Pensans also Penzans, IPA: /pɛnˈzæns/ is a town Civil parish, and Port in the Penwith district of Cornwall The South Western Main Line runs from London and Southampton to Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth in Dorset. The South Western Main Line is a Railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast in the south of England. The West of England Main Line runs from London to Exeter via south Wiltshire, north Dorset and south Somerset. The West of England Main Line is a British railway line running from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids. The Wessex Main Line runs from Bristol to Salisbury and on to Southampton. The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. The Heart of Wessex Line runs from Bristol in the north of the region to Weymouth of the south Dorset coast via Westbury, Castle Cary and Yeovil. The Heart of Wessex Line, also known as the Bristol to Weymouth line, is a United Kingdom railway line that runs from Bristol to Westbury Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Weymouth (ˈweɪməθ is a town in Dorset, England situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Castle Cary is a Market town in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and eight miles south of Shepton Yeovil (ˈjovɪl is a town in south Somerset, England, on the A30 and A37.

Three major roads enter the region from the east. The M4 motorway from London to South Wales via Bristol is the busiest. The M4 motorway is a Motorway in Great Britain linking London with Wales. The A303 cuts through the centre of the region from Salisbury to Honiton, where it merges with the A30 to continue past Exeter to the west of Cornwall. The A303 is a Trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. Honiton is a town in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, 17 miles northeast of Exeter in the county of Devon. The A30 is an old Trunk road (main road which runs from central London to Land's End, the westernmost point of the mainland of southern Great Britain ( though The A31, an extension of the M27, serves Poole and Bournemouth and the Dorset coast. The A31 is a major Trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset. The Soviet motorway M27 connects Sochi, Tbilisi, and Baku. The M27 is a Motorway in Hampshire The M5 runs from the West Midlands through Gloucestershire, Bristol and Somerset to Exeter. This article is about the M5 motorway in England See M5 for other roads numbered "M5" The West Midlands is an official Region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. The A38 serves as a western extension to Plymouth. The A38 is a major Trunk road in England. Though formally known as the Exeter - Leeds Trunk Road it actually runs from Bodmin in Cornwall There are three other smaller motorways in the region, all in the Bristol area. Bristol is a city in south west England, situated near the Bristol Channel coast approximately 115 miles (185 km west of London.

History

Stonehenge in Wiltshire, one of the UK's most famous landmarks.
Stonehenge in Wiltshire, one of the UK's most famous landmarks.

Pre-Roman

There is some evidence of human occupation of southern England before the last ice age, but largely in the south east. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England. The British mainland was connected to the continent during the ice age and humans may have repeatedly migrated into and out of the region. There is evidence of human habitation at Cheddar Gorge and Caves 10,000–11,000 years BC, during a partial thaw in the ice age. The landscape at this time was tundra. In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons Britain's oldest complete skeleton, Cheddar Man, lived at Cheddar Gorge around 7150 BC (the Upper Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age), shortly after the end of the ice age, however it is unclear whether the region was continually inhabited during the previous 4,000 years, or if humans returned to the gorge after a final cold spell. Cheddar Man is the name given to the remains of a human male found in Gough's Cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England. The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa The earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Britain was found at Aveline's Hole in the Mendip Hills. A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Aveline's Hole ( is a cave at Burrington Combe in the limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. The Mendip Hills (commonly called The Mendips) are a range of Limestone hills situated to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset The human bone fragments it contained, from about 21 different individuals, are thought to be between roughly 10,200 and 10,400 years old. [1][2] During this time the tundra gave way to birch forests and grassland and evidence for human settlement appears at Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire and Hengistbury Head,Dorset. Birch is the name of any Tree of the genus Betula ( Bé-tu-la) in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria Grasslands (also called greenswards) are areas where the Vegetation is dominated by Grasses ( Poaceae) and other Herbaceous (non-woody Salisbury Plain is a Chalk Plateau in central southern England covering. Hengistbury Head is a headland jutting into the English Channel between Bournemouth and Christchurch in the English county of

Pre-Norman

Main articles: Wessex and Constitutional status of Cornwall

It is generally considered that Cornwall came under the dominion of the English Crown in the time of Athelstan's rule, i. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. The constitutional status of Cornwall, in the southwest of the United Kingdom, is the subject of ongoing debate Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar e. 924-939, if the English crown as such can be said to have actually existed at that time. In the absence of any specific documentation to record this event, supporters of Cornwall's "English status" presume that it was made a part of England as a result. However, within a mere five years of Athelstan's death, King Edmund issued a charter, in AD 944, styling himself "King of the English and ruler of this province of the Britons". Edmund I (or Eadmund) 922 &ndash May 26 946) called the Elder, the Deed-Doer, the Just or the Magnificent Thus we can see that the "province" was a territorial possession, which has long had a special relationship to the British Crown, and its preceding institutions.

During the latter part of the pre-Norman period, the eastern seaboard of modern day England became increasingly under the sway of the Norse. Eventually England became ruled by Norse monarchs, and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms fell one by one, with Wessex being conquered in 1013 by King Sweyn Forkbeard. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Sweyn I Forkbeard, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in English Sven the Dane, also known as Swegen and Tuck, ( Old Norse Notably, while Sweyn's realms, which included Denmark and Norway in the north, and modern day English areas such as Mercia (an Anglian kingdom of the current Midlands), much of which, along with northern England, fell under the "Danelaw". The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. This article is mainly about the English Midlands For other uses see Midlands (disambiguation. The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (also known as the Danelagh; Old English: Dena lagu; Danish: But while Sweyn ruled Wessex, along with his other realms, from 1013 onwards, followed by his son Canute the Great, Cornwall was not part of his realm of Wessex. } Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut ( Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Norwegian A map by the American historian called the "The Dominions of Canute" (pictured just above) show that Cornwall, like Wales and Scotland, was neither part of Sweyn Forkbeard's nor Canute's Danish empire. Neither Sweyn Forkbeard nor Canute properly conquered or controlled Scotland, Wales or Cornwall; these modern day Celtic nations were both "client nations" who had to pay a yearly tribute or danegeld to both Sweyn and Canute, but, provided they did so, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall could keep their autonomy from the Danes. The Danegeld ("Danish tax" was a Tax raised to pay Tribute to the Viking raiders to save a land from being ravaged Ultimately, the Danes control of Wessex was lost in 1042 with the death of both of Canute's sons (Edward the Confessor retook Wessex for the Saxons) but netherless this important piece of history, that Cornwall was not part of the Danes empire is critical and shows that both the Saxons and the Danes had very little political input into Cornwall during the pre-Norman conquest era. King Edward the Confessor (c 1003 &ndash 5 January 1066 son of Ethelred the Unready, was the penultimate Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last

Modern history

The boundaries of the current South West Region are essentially the same as those devised by central government in the 1930s for civil defence administration, and subsequently used for various statistical analyses. The region is also identical (subject to minor boundary adjustments) to that used in the 17th century Rule of the Major-Generals under Cromwell. The Rule of the Major-Generals from August 1655 &ndash January 1657 was a period of direct military government during Oliver Cromwell 's Protectorate. Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known (For further information, see Historical and alternative regions of England). England is divided into a number of different regional schemes for various purposes

By the 1960s, the South West Region (including Dorset, which for some previous purposes had been included in a Southern region), was widely recognised for government administration and statistics. The boundaries were carried forward into the 1990s, when regional administrations were formally established as Government Office Regions. A regional assembly and regional development agency were added in 1999.

However, except as an administrative tool, the South West does not have a historically based unity, which has led many to criticise it as an artificial construct. The large area of the region, stretching as it does from the Isles of Scilly to Gloucestershire, encompasses diverse areas who have no more in common with each other than with other areas of England. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century The region has several different TV stations and newspapers covering different areas, and - unlike almost all other English regions - has no acknowledged single regional "capital". The people of the region generally do not feel a 'South West' regional identity, often preferring a county (or Duchy) based affiliation.

Demographics

The South West has the UK's lowest rate of lung cancer for men and women. Lung cancer is a Disease of uncontrolled Cell growth in tissues of the Lung.

Economy and industry

Historic docks on Bristol Harbour, the region's best performing economy.
Historic docks on Bristol Harbour, the region's best performing economy. Bristol Harbour is the Harbour in the city of Bristol, England
Since the decline of mining, Cornwall's economy has been reliant on tourism.
Since the decline of mining, Cornwall's economy has been reliant on tourism.

The most economically productive areas within the region are Bristol, the M4 corridor and south east Dorset – that is, the areas with the best links to London. The M4 corridor is the area adjacent to the M4 Motorway. The Eastern End Its eastern end in particular is home to a large number of businesses Bristol alone accounts for a quarter of the region's economy, with the surrounding areas of Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire accounting for a further quarter. [3] Bristol's economy has historically been built on maritime trade including the import of tobacco (and, previously, the slave trade). The history of slavery uncovers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures throughout history Since the early 20th century, however, aeronautics have taken over as the bedrock of Bristol's economy, with companies including Airbus, Rolls-Royce and British Aerospace manufacturing in Filton, and Westland Helicopters (now AgustaWestland) in Yeovil and Weston-super-Mare. Aeronautics (from Greek aero which means air or sky and nautis which means sailor i Airbus SAS (ˈɛərbʌs in English, Airbus2ogg|/ɛʁbys/]] in French, and /ˈɛːɐbʊs/ in German) is an aircraft manufacturing Rolls-Royce plc ( is a British Aircraft engine maker and the second-largest in the world behind GE Aviation. British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about 4 Westland Aircraft was a British Aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. AgustaWestland is a Helicopter design and manufacturing company based in Italy and the United Kingdom. Yeovil (ˈjovɪl is a town in south Somerset, England, on the A30 and A37. Weston-super-Mare is a Seaside resort town and Civil parish in North Somerset, England. More recently defence, telecommunications, information technology and electronics have been important industries in Bristol, Swindon and elsewhere. Virgin Mobile is in Trowbridge. Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many Mobile phone service providers based in the United Kingdom, and operating

The region's Gross value added (GVA) breaks down as 69. Gross Value Added or GVA is a measure in Economics of the value of goods and services produced in an area or sector of an Economy. 9% service industry, 28. 1% production industry and 2. Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, "making by hand" is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale 0% agriculture. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture This is a slightly higher proportion in production, and lower proportion in services, than the UK average. Agriculture, though in decline, is important in many parts of the region. Dairy farming is especially important in Dorset and Devon, and the region has 1. Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an Animal husbandry enterprise for long-term production of Milk, which may be either processed on-site or 76 million cattle, second to only one other UK region, and 3,520 square miles (9,117 km²) of grassland, more than any other region. Only 5. 6% of the region's agriculture is arable. In Geography, arable land (from Latin arare, to Plough) is an agricultural term meaning land that can be used for [3]

Tourism is important in the region, and in 2003 the tourist sector contributed £4,928 million to the region's economy. [4] In 2001 the GVA of the hotel industry was £2,200 million, and the region had 13,800 hotels with 250,000 bed spaces. [3]

There are very large differences in prosperity between the eastern parts of the region and the west. While Bristol is the second most affluent large city in England after London,[5] some parts of Cornwall and Devon have among the lowest average incomes in the UK. Cornwall in particular relies on tourism. The county has the lowest GVA per head of any county or unitary authority in the country,[6] contributes only 6. 5% of the region's economy and receives EU Objective One funding. The Regional policy of the European Union (EU is a policy with the stated aim of improving the Economic Well-being of certain regions [7] Around five million people visit the county each year. [8] Cornwall's poor economic performance is partly caused by its remoteness and poor transport links,[3] and by the decline of its traditional industries, such as mining, agriculture and fishing.

Sub-divisions

The region covers much of the historical area of Wessex (omitting only Hampshire and Berkshire), and all of the Celtic Kingdom of Dumnonia which comprised Cornwall, Devon, and parts of Somerset and Dorset. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South For the Brythonic colony of the same name in Brittany see Domnonée Dumnonia, sometimes referred to as Damnolia, was a Brythonic In terms of local government, it was divided after 1974 into Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. The former County of Avon was a non-metropolitan county and ceremonial county in the west of England, named after the River Avon, which Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye Avon has since been abolished, and several mainly urban areas have become unitary authorities. See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions

Local government

The official region consists of the following geographic counties and local government areas:

Map Ceremonial county Shire county / unitary Districts
Image:EnglandSouthWestNumbered.png Somerset 1. Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county Bath and North East Somerset
2. Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a Unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 North Somerset
11. North Somerset is a Unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered Somerset South Somerset, Taunton Deane, West Somerset, Sedgemoor, Mendip
3. South Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England. Taunton Deane is a local government district with Borough status in Somerset, England. West Somerset is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. Sedgemoor is a local government district of Somerset in England. Mendip is also a shortened name for The Mendip Hills, from which this district takes its name Bristol
Gloucestershire 4. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century South Gloucestershire
5. Geography The River Severn forms the north-western edge of the area with a wide coastal plain terminated by the Severn Escarpment. Gloucestershire Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Cotswold, Stroud, Forest of Dean
Wiltshire 6. Gloucester (ˈɡlɒstɚ) is a city, district and County town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Parishes and settlements Alvington, Awre, Aylburton Blaisdon, Bromsberrow Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye Swindon
7. Economy This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Swindon at current basic prices published (pp Wiltshire Salisbury, West Wiltshire, Kennet, North Wiltshire
Dorset 8. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Dorset Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, East Dorset, Christchurch
9. Poole
10. Poole ( is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset on the south coast of England Bournemouth
Devon 12. The Borough of Bournemouth has been a Unitary authority in South East Dorset since 1 April 1997 Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Devon Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, Torridge, West Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge
13. Torbay
14. Geography There are three main towns around the bay Torquay in the north Paignton in the centre and Brixham in the south which have become connected Plymouth
Cornwall Isles of Scilly
15. Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Cornwall Penwith, Kerrier, Carrick, Restormel, Caradon, North Cornwall

South West Regional Assembly

Durdle Door in Dorset is part of the Jurassic Coast, England's only natural World Heritage Site.
Durdle Door in Dorset is part of the Jurassic Coast, England's only natural World Heritage Site. Durdle Door (sometimes spelled Durdle Dor) is a natural Limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex

Although referendums had been planned on whether elected assemblies should be set up in some of the regions, none was planned in the South West. The South West Regional Assembly (SWRA) is the regional assembly for the South West region, established in 1999. The South West Regional Assembly (SWRA is the regional assembly for the South West region of England, established in 1999. " Regional Assembly " is the name which has been adopted by the English bodies established as regional chambers under the Regional Development Agencies It is based in Exeter and Taunton. Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. Taunton is the County town of Somerset, England. The Unparished area (or former Municipal borough) of Taunton has a Population The SWRA is a partnership of councillors from all local authorities in the region and representatives of various sectors with a role in the region's economic, social and environmental well-being. It covers an area of 9,200 square miles (23,828 km²) including Gloucestershire, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and represents a population of almost five million people. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar There was much opposition to the formation of the SWRA with critics saying it is an unelected unrepresentative and unaccountable "quango", and the area covered is an artificially imposed region and not natural. They say that by having the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in the west being in the same region as Gloucestershire in the east, geographically it would be the same for example as linking London with Yorkshire.

There is some controversy over the status of Cornwall. The constitutional status of Cornwall, in the southwest of the United Kingdom, is the subject of ongoing debate Some consider it to be a nation in its own right. Many others (55% according to a MORI opinion poll) [1] wish to see devolution outside a "Devonwall"/"South West" region. Ipsos MORI is the second largest survey research organisation in the UK formed by two of the UK's leading companies in October 2005 A petition for a Cornish assembly has received over 50,000 signatures. The British Government's position is that Cornwall is a county of England and is far too small to become a region, having around one fifth of the population of the smallest existing English region. However, many other countries such as Canada and the USA, have provinces and states of diverse sizes, and independent states like Iceland exist which have a smaller population than Cornwall. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland (

Politics

The South West is mixed politically. Currently in the UK Parliament, the Conservatives hold 22 seats, the Liberal Democrats 16 and Labour 12. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the

South West England is one of the constituencies used for elections to the European Parliament. South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU From the 2004 election onwards, Gibraltar has been included within the constituency for the purpose of elections to the European parliament only. Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar

Education

Somerset, the former area of Avon, Swindon and Cornwall have comprehensive schools. Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county Swindon ( is a large town in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in the South West of England, midway between Bristol (64 km / 40 miles Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar A comprehensive school is a Secondary school and State school for children from the age of 11 to at least 16 that does not select children on the basis of academic The other counties have some selective schools. Gloucestershire has 6, Wiltshire has 2 (in Salisbury), Poole has 2, Bournemouth has 2, Devon has 1, Plymouth has 2 and Torbay has 3. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye Salisbury (ˈsɒlzbri ˈsɔːlzbri ('Solzbry' or ˈzɔːwzbri ('Zawzbry' — moving from RP to local dialect) is a cathedral city in the Poole ( is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset on the south coast of England Bournemouth ( is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. Geography There are three main towns around the bay Torquay in the north Paignton in the centre and Brixham in the south which have become connected In the Top Ten schools in the South West, by A level results, all ten are selective schools. The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales,

At GCSE, Gloucestershire performs the best, followed by Poole and Bath & North East Somerset (both equal), then Dorset. The General Certificate of Secondary Education ( GCSE) is the name of an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject generally taken in a number of subjects by Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Also above the UK average are Wiltshire, North Somerset, and Devon. The South West performs well at GCSE, with the only exception being the City of Bristol which is very low performing.

At A level, Bournemouth performs the best by far. Gloucestershire again performs well, closely followed by Wiltshire. Also above average is Torbay and North Somerset. At A level, the South West is not quite as well performing as other areas. Plymouth performs the worst.

In 2006, the top ten state schools in South West England (by A Level results) were:

Local media

Local media include:

See also

References

  1. ^ Earliest British cemetery dated (PDF). The following is a partial list of currently operating schools in the South West region of England. BBC News. Retrieved on 2007-01-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva.
  2. ^ Aveline's Hole – An Early Mesolithic Cemetery Site in the Mendips. Rick Schulting. Retrieved on 2007-01-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva.
  3. ^ a b c d Portrait of South West England: Economy. Eurostat & Office for National Statistics, 2004. The Statistical Office of the European Communities ( Eurostat) is the Statistical arm of the European Commission, producing data for the European Union The Office for National Statistics (ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly Retrieved on 2006-04-14. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in
  4. ^ Tourism contribution figures. South West Regional Development Agency. Retrieved on 2007-06-16. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses.
  5. ^ Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004. "Competitive European Cities: Where do the Core Cities stand? Urban Research Summary 13. " Page 12 (PDF).
  6. ^ Office for National Statistics, 2003. "Top 5 and Bottom 5 GVA per head of population. "
  7. ^ DEFRA, n. d. "Objective 1 and 2 areas in England. "
  8. ^ Cornwall Tourist Board, 2003. Tourism in Cornwall.

External links

Photographs
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