Powys county
Geography
Area: - Total - % Water	Ranked 1st 5,196 km² ? %
Admin HQ:	Llandrindod Wells
ISO 3166-2:	GB-POW
ONS code:	00NN
Demographics
Population: - Total (April 29, 2001) - Density	Ranked 11th 126,354 24 / km²
Ethnicity:	99.3% White
Welsh language: - Any skills	Ranked 7th 30.1%
Politics
Powys County Council http://www.powys.gov.uk
Control:	Independent
MPs:	Martyn Jones Lembit Öpik Roger Williams
AMs:	Karen Sinclair Mick Bates Kirsty Williams (Constituency) North Wales (Part), Mid and West Wales (Part) (Regional)
MEPs:	Wales

Powys is an administrative county in Wales, over 2000 sq. m. in size. It covers the areas of the traditional counties of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Brecknockshire. It was created in the local government reform of 1974, and originally had Montgomery and Radnor and Brecknock as districts under it. In 1996 it became a unitary authority, with a minor border adjustment in the north-east.

This area is named after the older Welsh kingdom of Powys, which occupied roughly the same area, and came to an end when it was absorbed into the kingdom of Gwynedd by Hywel Dda.

Powys from 1974-1996

Towns and villages

• Abercynafon
• Brecon, Builth Wells, Bwlch
• Caersws, Crickhowell
• Four Crosses, Llanfair Caereinion, Powys , Four Crosses, Oswestry, Powys , Fron, Llandrindod Wells, Powys , Fron, Welshpool, Powys , Fron, Montgomery, Powys
• Garth , Glyntawe
• Hay-on-Wye
• Knighton
• Little London , Llandrindod Wells, Llanfair Caereinion, Llanfyllin, Llangammarch Wells, Llangurig , Llanidloes, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Llanstephan , Llanwrtyd Wells, Llanymynech
• Machynlleth, Middletown , Milford
• Newbridge-on-Wye , New Mills , New Radnor, Newtown
• Penpont, Powys , Pontdolgoch, Presteigne
• Rhayader
• Sennybridge
• Trecastle
• Walton , Welshpool
• Ystradfellte, Ystradgynlais

Places of interest

• The Black Mountains
• Brecknock Museum , Brecon
• Brecon Caer Roman Fort
• Several large cave systems -- Ogof Draenen, Ogof Ffynnon Ddu, Agen Allwedd , Ogof y Daren Cilau , Ogof Craig a Ffynnon
• Celtica exhibition, Machynlleth
• Centre for Alternative Technology , Machynlleth
• The Elan Valley, including the Elan Valley Reservoirs -- Claerwen Reservoir , Craig-goch Reservoir , Penygarreg Reservoir , Garreg-ddu Reservoir , Caban-coch Reservoir , Afon Claerwen
• The Lake Vyrnwy Sculpture Trail
• Llandrindod Wells Museum
• Llanidloes Museum
• Newtown Textile Museum
• Powysland Museum , Welshpool
• Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
• Radnor Forest
• Tretower Castle
• The Welsh National Cycle Route
• The Wye Valley Walk from Chepstow to Rhayader
• Offa's Dyke Path

External links

• Powys Heritage
• Powys Web Links
• Tourism in Powys