Somerset | |||
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County | |||
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Motto: Sumorsǣte ealle ('All The People of Somerset') |
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Somerset in England |
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Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
Country | England | ||
Region | South West England | ||
Established | Historic | ||
Ceremonial county | |||
Area | 4,171 km2 (1,610 sq mi) | ||
• Ranked | 7th of 48 | ||
Population (mid-2015 est.) | 940,200 | ||
• Ranked | 22nd of 48 | ||
Density | 225/km2 (580/sq mi) | ||
Ethnicity | 98.5% White | ||
Non-metropolitan county | |||
County council | |||
Executive | Conservative | ||
Admin HQ | Taunton | ||
Area | 3,451 km2 (1,332 sq mi) | ||
• Ranked | 12th of 27 | ||
Population | 545,400 | ||
• Ranked | 23rd of 27 | ||
Density | 158/km2 (410/sq mi) | ||
ISO 3166-2 | GB-SOM | ||
ONS code | 40 | ||
NUTS | UKK23 | ||
Districts of Somerset |
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Districts |
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Members of Parliament |
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Time zone | GMT (UTC) | ||
• Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
Somerset (i/ˈsʌmərsɛt/) is a county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. It is bounded to the north and west by the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, its coastline facing southeastern Wales. Its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset's county town is Taunton.
Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, and Exmoor National Park, and large flat expanses of land including the Somerset Levels. There is evidence of human occupation from Paleolithic times, and of subsequent settlement in the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The county played a significant part in the consolidation of power and rise of King Alfred the Great, and later in the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. The city of Bath is famous for its substantial Georgian architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.