Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire
The Chiltern Hills, the Rotunda in Stowe Gardens (bottom left), and the Peace Pagoda in Milton Keynes (bottom right)
Coordinates: 51°50′N 0°50′W / 51.833°N 0.833°W / 51.833; -0.833
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East
EstablishedAncient
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time)
Members of Parliament7 MPs
PoliceThames Valley Police
Largest cityMilton Keynes
Ceremonial county
Lord LieutenantThe Countess Howe DL
from 26 June 2020
High SheriffDame Ann Geraldine Limb[1]
Area1,874 km2 (724 sq mi)
 • Ranked32nd of 48
Population (2021)840,138
 • Ranked30th of 48
Density432/km2 (1,120/sq mi)
Ethnicity77.2% White
12,4%. Asian
5.0% Black
Mixed 3.7%[2]
Unitary authorities
CouncilsBuckinghamshire Council
Milton Keynes City Council
Districts

Districts of Buckinghamshire
Unitary
Districts
  1. Buckinghamshire
  2. Milton Keynes

Buckinghamshire (/ˈbʌkɪŋəmʃər, -ʃɪər/, abbreviated Bucks),[3] is a ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the east, Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, and Oxfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Milton Keynes, and the county town is Aylesbury.

The county has an area of 1,874 km2 (724 sq mi) and had a population of 840,138 at the 2021 census.[2] Besides Milton Keynes (264,349),[4] which is in the north-east, the largest settlements are in the southern half of the county and include Aylesbury (94,238), High Wycombe (75,814), and Chesham (21,483). For local government purposes Buckinghamshire comprises two unitary authority areas, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. The historic county had slightly different borders, and included the town of Slough.

The Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, occupy the south of the county and contain its highest point, Haddington Hill (267 m (876 ft)). The Chilterns are the source of the River Ouzel, which flows across the lowland Vale of Aylesbury in the north of the county and through Milton Keynes before meeting the River Great Ouse at Newport Pagnell. The Thames forms part of the county's southern boundary.

Notable service amenities in the county are Pinewood Film Studios, Dorney rowing lake and part of Silverstone race track on the Northamptonshire border. Many national companies have head offices or major centres in Milton Keynes. Heavy industry and quarrying is limited, with agriculture predominating after service industries.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference LonGaz 100323 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Buckingham UA (E06000060)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 December 2023. plus UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Milton Keynes UA (E06000042)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  3. ^ EB (1878).
  4. ^ "United Kingdom: Countries and Major Urban Areas". citypopulation.de. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.