County of Berkshire
| Berkshire Royal County of Berkshire |
|
|---|---|
| County | |
 Berkshire in England |
|
| Coordinates: 51°25′N 1°00′W / 51.417°N 1.000°WCoordinates: 51°25′N 1°00′W / 51.417°N 1.000°W | |
| Sovereign state |
 United Kingdom
|
| Country |
 England
|
| Region | South |
| Established | Ancient |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Lord Lieutenant | James Puxley |
| High Sheriff | Mrs V J Fishburn (2016-17) |
| Area | 1,262 km2 (487 sq mi) |
| • Ranked | 40th of 48 |
| Population (mid-2015 est.) | 890,600 |
| • Ranked | 24th of 48 |
| Density | 705/km2 (1,830/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | 88.7% White 6.8% S.Asian 2.0% Black |
| Non-metropolitan county | |
| Joint committees |
Berkshire Local Transport Body Royal Berkshire Fire Authority |
| NUTS | UKJ11 |
 Districts of Berkshire Unitary |
|
| Districts | |
| Members of Parliament | List of MPs |
| Police | Thames Valley Police |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC) |
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
Berkshire (/ˈbɑːkʃə/ or /ˈbɑːkʃɪər/, abbreviated Berks, in the 17th century sometimes spelled Barkeshire as it is pronounced) is a county in south east England, west of London. It was recognised by the Queen as the Royal County of Berkshire in 1957 because of the presence of Windsor Castle, and letters patent were issued in 1974. Berkshire is a county of historic origin and is a home county, a ceremonial county and a non-metropolitan county without a county council. Berkshire County Council was the main county governance from 1889 to 1998 except for the separately administered County Borough of Reading.
In 1974, significant alterations were made to the county's administrative boundaries although the traditional boundaries of Berkshire were not changed. The towns of Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage and their surrounding district were transferred to Oxfordshire, Slough was gained from Buckinghamshire and the separate administration of Reading was extended to other areas. Since 1998, Berkshire has been governed by the six unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham. Berkshire borders the counties of Oxfordshire (to the north), Buckinghamshire (to the north-east), Greater London (to the east), Surrey (to the south-east), Wiltshire (to the west) and Hampshire (to the south).
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