Torbay, England
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Torbay Borough of Torbay |
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|---|---|
| Borough and unitary authority | |
Torquay Town Hall, the home of Torbay Council
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| Nickname(s): The English Riviera or Greater Torquay | |
| Motto: SALUS ET FELICITAS "Health and Happiness" |
|
 Torbay shown within Devon and England |
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| Coordinates: 50°27′8″N 3°33′25″W / 50.45222°N 3.55694°WCoordinates: 50°27′8″N 3°33′25″W / 50.45222°N 3.55694°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West England |
| Ceremonial county | Devon |
| Borough status | 1968 |
| Unitary Authority | 1998 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | Torbay Council |
| • Administration | Conservative |
| • HQ | Torquay |
| • Elected Mayor | Gordon Oliver (Conservative) |
| • MPs |
Kevin Foster (Con) Sarah Wollaston (Con) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 24.27 sq mi (62.87 km2) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 130,959 |
| • Ethnicity | 97.5% White |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) |
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
| Postcode district | TQ1–5 |
| Website | www.torbay.gov.uk |
Torbay /tɔːrˈbeɪ/ is a borough in Devon, England, administered by the unitary authority of Torbay Council. It consists of 62.87 square kilometres (24.27 sq mi) of land, spanning the towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, located around an east-facing natural harbour (Tor Bay) on the English Channel. Torbay is roughly equidistant from the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. A popular tourist destination with a tight conurbation of resort towns, Torbay's sandy beaches, mild climate and recreational and leisure attractions have given rise to the nickname of the English Riviera.
That the Torbay area has been inhabited since Paleolithic times is shown by human bones and tools found in Kents Cavern in Torquay. A maxilla fragment known as Kents Cavern 4 may be the oldest example of a modern human in Europe, dating back to 37,000–40,000 years ago.Roman soldiers are known to have visited Torquay during the period when Britain was a part of the Roman Empire, leaving offerings at a curious rock formation in Kent's Cavern, known as "The Face".
Both Brixham and Paignton appear in the Domesday Book of 1086 and Paignton was given the status of a borough having a market and fair in 1294. The first major building in Torquay was Torre Abbey, a Premonstratensian monastery founded in 1196.
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