Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire coat of arms

Has a population of about 520,600 and covers an area of 1,025 square miles. It is located in the west of central England. The county seat is Gloucester.

Industry

On the West is the Forest of Dean in the west also has iron and coal deposits which are worked by individual miners Although a mainly rural county, some engineering and manufacturing occurs around the major towns centred in Gloucester, Bristol, and Cheltenham.

Geography

The River Severn runs through the centre of the county and its fertile valley supports dairy farming and sheep. The Cotswold hills run through the eastern part of the county and are mainly devoted to dairy and arable farming. The western side is bordered by the River Wye, which also forms the national border with Wales.

History

Cirencester and Gloucester were centres of Roman road networks. The region was a sub-kingdom of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. In the middle Ages the Cotswolds provided wool for an important wool trade in the county.