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| 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, often indicating a traditional
or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to
the west and Dorset and Somerset to the east. Its coastline follows
the English Channel to the south and the Bristol Channel to the north.
It is the only county in England with two separate coastlines. Devon
is the third largest of the English counties and has a population
of 1,109,900. The county town is the cathedral city of Exeter, and
the county contains two independent unitary authorities: the port
city of Plymouth and the Torbay conurbation of seaside resorts, in
addition to Devon County Council itself. Plymouth is also the biggest
city in Devon. Much of the county is rural (including |
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National Park) land, with a low
population density by British standards. 365 square miles (950 km2)
are occupied by Dartmoor. The county is home to part of England''s
only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Dorset and East Devon
Coast, known as the Jurassic Coast for its geology and geographical
features. Along with its neighbour, Cornwall, Devon is known as the
"Cornubian massif". This geology gives rise to the landscapes of Dartmoor
and Exmoor, which are both National Parks. Devon has seaside resorts
and historic towns and cities, and a mild climate, accounting for
the large tourist sector of its economy.
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| Devon is one of the rural counties, with the
advantages and problems characteristic of these. Despite this, the
county''s economy is also heavily influenced by its two main urban
centres, Plymouth and Exeter. most of Devon has qualified for the
European Community Objective 2 status, particularly around Exmoor,
Bideford Bay and the Hartland Point peninsula which is somewhat cut
off from industrial Britain due to poor road and rail transport links.
These areas of North Devon are, however, only around 50 miles (80
km) by boat from Swansea in Wales. A proposal which has the backing
of both the Welsh Assembly Government and the South West Regional
Assembly, as well as Devon County Council, is a year-round ferry service
from either Ilfracombe or Bideford to Swansea, which it is hoped would
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| stimulate economic growth in both
South West Wales and the North coast of Devon and Cornwall. Since
the rise of seaside resorts with the arrival of the railways in the
19th century, Devon''s economy has been heavily reliant on tourism.
The county''s economy has followed the declining trend of British seaside
resorts since the mid 20th century, with some recent revival. This
revival has been aided by the designation of much of Devon''s countryside
and coastline as the Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks, and the Jurassic
Coast and Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage
Sites. In 2004 the county''s tourist revenue was £1.2 billion.[6] The
attractive lifestyle of the area is drawing in new industries which
are not heavily dependent upon geographical location. |
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| The main settlements in Devon
are the cities of Plymouth, a historic port now administratively independent,
Exeter, the county town, and Torbay, the county''s tourist centre.
Devon''s coast is lined with tourist resorts, many of which grew rapidly
with the arrival of the railways in the 19th century. Examples include
Dawlish, Exmouth and Sidmouth on the south coast, and Ilfracombe and
Lynmouth on the north. The Torbay conurbation of Torquay, Paignton
and Brixham on the south coast is perhaps the largest and most popular
of these resorts, and is now administratively independent of the county.
Rural market towns in the county include Axminster, Barnstaple, Bideford,
Honiton, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Tavistock, Totnes and Tiverton.
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| Devon''s place names
include many with the endings ''coombe/combe'' and ''tor'' - Coombe being
the Brythonic word for ''valley'' or hollow (cf Welsh ''cwm'') whilst
tor derives from a number of Celtic loan-words in English (Old Welsh
twrr and Scots |
| Gaelic tòrr) and is used as a
name for the formations of rocks found on the moorlands. Its frequency
is greatest in Devon, where it is the second most common place name
component (after ''ton'', derived from the Old English ''tun'' meaning
farm, village). Devon has a variety of festivals and practices. One
example of these include the flaming tar barrels in Ottery St. Mary,
where people who have lived in Ottery for long enough are called upon
to celebrate Bonfire Night by running through the village (and the
gathered crowds) with flaming barrels of tar on their backs. The county
has given its name to a number of culinary specialities. The Devonshire
cream tea, involving scones, jam and clotted cream, is thought to
have originated in Devon (though claims have also been made for neighbouring
counties); in other |
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| countries, such as Australia and
New Zealand, it is known as a"Devonshire tea". In New South Wales,
Australia, Devon is a name for luncheon meat (processed ham). The
name changes in different states of Australia (for example, ''Fritz''
in South Australia, ''Polony'' in Western Australia) but all describe
the same type of meat. |
| Devon has a mostly comprehensive
education system, except for four grammar schools: in Colyton, Churston,
a boys'' and a girls'' school in Torquay. There are 37 state and 23
independent secondary schools. There are three tertiary (FE) colleges
and an agricultural college (Bicton College, near Budleigh Salterton).
Torbay has 8 state (with 3 grammar schools) and 3 independent secondary
schools, and Plymouth has 17 state (with 3 grammar schools - two female
and one male) and 2 independent secondary schools. East Devon and
Teignbridge have the largest school populations, with West Devon the
smallest (with only two schools). Only one school in Exeter, Mid Devon,
Torridge and North Devon have a sixth form - the schools in other
districts mostly have sixth forms, with all schools in West Devon
and East Devon having a sixth form. |
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