Peak National Park

Peak District National Park
"The Peak"
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
A view of Mam Tor, Peak District National Park
Peak District National Park (shaded green) within England
Location	Derbyshire Cheshire Greater Manchester Staffordshire South Yorkshire West Yorkshire
Coordinates	53°21′N 1°50′W / 53.350°N 1.833°W / 53.350; -1.833Coordinates: 53°21′N 1°50′W / 53.350°N 1.833°W / 53.350; -1.833
Area	555 sq mi (1,440 km2)
Designated	17 April 1951 (1951-04-17)
Visitors	Over 10 million
Administrator	National Park Authority
Website	www.peakdistrict.gov.uk

The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. It is mostly in northern Derbyshire, but also includes parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. An area of great diversity, it is split into the northern Dark Peak, where most of the moorland is found and the geology is gritstone, and the southern White Peak, where most of the population lives and the geology is mainly limestone. The South West Peak is recognised as a third area with landscapes similar to both the Dark Peak and White Peak.

The Peak District National Park became the first national park in the United Kingdom in 1951. With its proximity to the cities of Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Sheffield and easy access by road and rail, it attracts millions of visitors every year.

The Peak District forms the southern end of the Pennines and much of the area is uplands above 1,000 feet (300 m), with a high point on Kinder Scout of 2,087 ft (636 m). Despite its name, the landscape generally lacks sharp peaks, being characterised mostly by rounded hills, plateaus, valleys, limestone gorges and gritstone escarpments (the "edges"). While the area is mostly rural, it is surrounded by conurbations and large urban areas, including Huddersfield, Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Stoke-on-Trent.