Leicestershire
Geography
Status:	Ceremonial & (smaller) Administrative County
Region:	East Midlands
Area: - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area	Ranked 28th 2,156 km² Ranked 26th 2,083 km²
Admin HQ:	Glenfield
ISO 3166-2:	GB-LEC
ONS code:	31
NUTS 3:	UKF22
Demographics
Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop.	Ranked 21st 899,069 417 / km² Ranked 17th 615,491
Ethnicity:	85.0% White 11.9% S.Asian 1.2% Afro-Carib.
Politics
Leicestershire County Council http://www.leics.gov.uk/
Executive:	Conservative
Members of Parliament
Stephen Dorrell, Alan Duncan, Edward Garnier, Parmjit Singh Gill, Patricia Hewitt, Andy Reed, Andrew Robathan, David Taylor, David Tredinnick, Keith Vaz
Districts
Charnwood Melton Harborough Oadby and Wigston Blaby Hinckley and Bosworth North West Leicestershire Leicester (Unitary)

Leicestershire (abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester which has traditionally been its administrative centre, but is now a unitary authority administratively separate from Leicestershire. It borders onto Leicester, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Staffordshire.

The population of Leicestershire (excluding the city of Leicester) is 609,579 (2001). The county covers an area of 2,084 sq km (804 sq mi).

Leicestershire's administrative centre is Leicestershire County Council County Hall, located in Glenfield.

The largest population centre is Leicester, followed by Loughborough. Other major towns include Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Coalville, Hinckley, Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray and Oadby and Wigston.

The River Soar rises near Hinckley, and drains north through the county, through Leicester, towards the River Trent in Nottinghamshire. The county contains part of the new National Forest.

History

Main article: History of Leicestershire.

Leicestershire was recorded in the Domesday Book in four wapentakes: Guthlaxton, Framland, Goscote and Gartree. These later became hundreds, with the division of Goscote into West Goscote and East Goscote, and the addition of Sparkenhoe hundred.

Leicestershire's external boundaries have changed little since the Domesday Survey. The Measham-Donisthorpe exclave of Derbyshire has been exchanged for the Netherseal /Overseall area, and the urban expansion of Market Harborough has caused Little Bowdon , previously in Northamptonshire to be annexed.

In 1974, due to the Local Government Act 1972, the county of Rutland was annexed to Leicestershire as a district, and Leicester's county borough status was abolished, it becoming a district also. Both these actions were reversed on April 1, 1996.

Towns and villages

• Anstey, Arnesby , Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Ashby Magna , Aston Flamville
• Barrow-on-Soar , Barwell, Birstall, Blaby, Bottesford, Breedon on the Hill, Broughton Astley , Burbage, Burton on the Wolds Bushby , Beeby , Billesdon
• Cadeby , Coalville, Countesthorpe , Croft
• Desford, Donisthorpe
• Earl Shilton, East Norton , Edith Weston , Enderby
• Gaddesby , Glenfield, Groby
• Hallaton , Hinckley, Horninghold , Husbands Bosworth, Hungarton, Houghton on the Hill
• Ibstock
• Kegworth, Kirby Muxloe
• Little Dalby , Loughborough, Lutterworth
• Market Bosworth, Market Harborough, Measham, Melton Mowbray, Moira, Mountsorrel
• Narborough, Newton Harcourt , Newtown Linford , Normanton
• Oadby, Old Dalby
• Peatling Parva
• Queniborough , Quorndon
• Rothley
• Sapcote, Shackerstone , Shearsby , Sheepy Magna , Sheepy Parva , Shepshed, Sileby , Stoney Stanton , Sutton Cheney, Swinford , Syston
• Thurmaston, Thurnby , Twycross
• Waltham-on-the-Wolds , Whitwick, Walton, Wigston, Woodhouse Eaves, Wycomb

Places of interest

• Ashby Canal
• The Battlefield Line (a heritage railway), Belvoir Castle, Bosworth Battlefield, Bradgate Park, Brampton Valley Way (linear park and foot/cycle path to Northampton}
• Donington Park
• East Midlands Airport
• Foxton Locks
• High Cross
• Launde Abbey , Leicester Botanic Gardens
• Moira Furnace
• Stanford Hall
• Twycross Zoo

See also

• Wikipedia images of Leicestershire