Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire () is a county in the southwest of
Wales in the
United Kingdom.
|
Marloes peninsula, Pembrokeshire coast, Wales, UK |
Pembrokeshire is a maritime county, washed by the sea on all sides except in the northeast where it is bounded by
Cardiganshire and in the east where it is bounded by
Carmarthenshire. Its population is 112,000. The highest point is at
Foel Cwmcerwyn (1759ft/536m). The county boasts 170 miles (≈275 km) of magnificent coastline comprising important seabird breeding sites and numerous bays and sandy beaches. Almost all of the coast is included in the
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. In the north are the
Preseli Hills (Mynyddoedd Preseli), a wide stretch of high
moorland with many prehistoric monuments. Elsewhere the county is relatively flat, most of the land being used for lowland farming. Oil tankers dock in the deep estuarine waters of
Milford Haven. The chief rivers are the Eastern Cleddau, the Western Cleddau and the Solva. The main industries are tourism, agriculture and oil refining. The county town is
Haverfordwest.
See the list of places in Pembrokeshire for villages, towns and cities in Pembrokeshire.The county was founded as a
county palatine in
1138 with
Gilbert de Clare as the first
Earl of Pembroke. It has long been split between its
Anglicized south (known as "
Little England beyond Wales") and its Welsh-speaking north.
Between
1889 and
1974 the county had an elected
county council for the first time.Between
1974 and
1996 the county was administered as two districts (
South Pembrokeshire and
Preseli) of the non-metropolitan county of
Dyfed. Since 1996 it has been administered as a
unitary authority.
Electoral divisions
The county is divided into 60
electoral wards. Some of these wards are coterminous with
communities (parishes) of the same name. Most communities have their own elected council. There are 10 town councils and 52 community councils in the county area. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a
community council are indicated with a '*':
Agriculture in Pembrokeshire is difficult because of the climate. So agriculture is relying on
greenhouses and
nurseries to a high degree. Traditional fishing is limited, and fishing is mainly done for personal needs. The development of fishing methods is staying behind because of the bad quality of ground water and sea water. The development from a traditional agriculture to expansion and specializing refers to the factor of tourism not agricultural firm, recreation and transport.
From 170,000 hectares of land, about 126,000 (74%) are used by agriculture. The majority of this land (60%) is down to permanent grassland and 26% is arable. The region is registered as a problem zone, because the area has very little potential of agriculture. Revenues are less than the average, but agriculture still provides 7,000 jobs.
The traditional county of Pembrokeshire is bounded by
Carmarthenshire to the east,
Cardiganshire to the northeast, the
St George's Channel to the northwest and the
Bristol Channel to the south.
{
Geography
*
Caldey Island*
Grassholm Island*
Pembrokeshire Coast Path, a
long distance footpath*
Preseli Hills*
Ramsey Island*
Skomer Island*
Skokholm IslandVisitor attractions
*
Pembrokeshire Motor Museum*
Oakwood Theme Park*
TenbyHistorical places*Carew Castle
*Cresswell Castle
*Haverfordwest Castle
*Llawhaden Castle
*Manorbier Castle
*Pembroke Castle
*Picton Castle
*St David's Cathedral
*Strumble Head Lighthouse
*Wiston Castle | 
