About Devon
Devon, also known as Devonshire, which was formerly its common and official name, is a county of England, reaching from the Bristol Channel in the north to the English Channel in the south. It is part of South West England, bounded by Cornwall to the west, Somerset to the north east, and Dorset to the east. The city of Exeter is the county town. The county includes the districts of East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, and West Devon. Plymouth and Torbay are each geographically part of Devon, but are administered as unitary authorities. Combined as a ceremonial county, Devon's area is 6,707 km2 with a population of about 1.1 million.
Devon derives its name from Dumnonia, which, during the British Iron Age (800 BC – AD 43), was a kingdom in southwestern Britain. The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain resulted in the partial assimilation of Dumnonia into Wessex during the eighth and ninth centuries. The western boundary with Cornwall was set at the River Tamar by King Æthelstan in 936. Devon was constituted as a shire of the Kingdom of England thereafter. The north and south coasts of Devon each have both cliffs and sandy shores, and the county's bays contain seaside resorts, fishing towns and ports. The inland terrain is rural and generally hilly. A large area of the south west of England is in Devon.
The county has two main landforms: the high ground of Dartmoor and Exmoor in the west, and the lowland plains in the east. Dartmoor is covered in thick layers of peat; Exmoor is similar but with a slightly thinner layer of topsoil. The south east of Devon is mostly low-lying farmland interspersed with small villages. The A38 road passes through this area from Plymouth to Exeter; it is dual carriageway for most of its length but single carriageway west of Okehampton. There are few large towns in this part of Devon; most population centres are along the coast or on commuter routes into Cornwall or Somerset.
The northern part of Devon, including Dartmoor and Exmoor, is more sparsely populated than the south. The A30 road provides a route across this part of England from London to Cornwall; it is mostly single carriageway but with some sections of dual carriageway near Okehampton and Exeter. There are no motorways in Devon; the nearest are in Somerset (the M5) and Cornwall (the A30).
The climate of Devon is temperate with mild winters and cool summers. The average annual temperature range is 9–13 °C (48–55 °F). January and February are usually the coldest months, with mean minimum temperatures around 2–4 °C (36–39 °F). July and August are usually the warmest months, with mean maximum temperatures around 21–23 °C (70–73 °F). There is usually about 60 mm (2.4 in) of rain each month; November to February are typically the wettest months while June to August are usually the driest.
The economy of Devon is largely dependent on agriculture, tourism and fishing; however there are also significant light manufacturing and service industries present. Agriculture is mostly directed towards livestock farming (particularly dairy cattle and sheep), although there are also significant arable crops grown (such as wheat and barley). Tourism is important throughout Devon, with visitors attracted by its coastline, countryside and tourist attractions such as Dartmoor National Park, Exmoor National Park and numerous stately homes and gardens. Fishing takes place both inshore (for species such as mackerel) and offshore (for species such as cod); fish farming is also an important industry in some areas (particularly salmon).
Manufacturing industries in Devon include food processing (particularly dairy products), engineering (particularly aerospace components), electronics (particularly computer chips) and clothing (particularly footwear). Service industries are also important to the economy, particularly finance (in Exeter) and tourism (across Devon)
