Devon
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Locator map for the English administrative region of Devon.
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In many parts of Britain the evidence of former climates still exists. One of the more common features are terracettes or sheep walks. These are very small ridges or banks, caused by the down slope mass movement of soil. This occurs as a result of the wetting and drying of soil, the freezing and thawing of water in the soil, and the compaction of these ridges by animals, especially sheep.
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The building of New Bridge across the River Torridge, north of Bideford in Devon. The finished structure has eight spans with a total length of 641 m/2,104 ft and is 24 m/79 ft above the spring tide water level. The opening of the bridge has greatly eased the pressure of traffic on the town of Bideford.
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The River Tamar rises only 6.4 km/4 mi from Bude, on the north Devon coast, flowing south for almost 80 km/50 mi before emptying into Plymouth Sound and the English Channel. It accounts for most of the boundary line dividing the counties of Devon and Cornwall and is crossed by, among others, the Brunel Railway Bridge and the Tamar Suspension Bridge.
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Torquay is a popular resort town on the south Devon coast. Today its harbour is a major centre for recreational sailing. During the Napoleonic Wars the town served as a centre for officers awaiting orders to move overseas. Many of the houses in the old town date from this period.
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Wistman's Wood, Dartmoor, Devon. Wistman's (or Wiseman's) Wood is one of only three remaining ancient upland oak copses in Devon. Originally, oak and birch forest covered all but the very highest reaches of the moor.
County of southwest England; Plymouth and Torbay have been separate unitary authorities since April 1998.
Area
6,720 sq km/2,594 sq miTowns and cities
Exeter (administrative headquarters); resorts: Barnstaple, Bideford, Exmouth, Ilfracombe, Sidmouth, Teignmouth, TivertonPhysical
rivers: Dart, Exe, Plym, Tamar (94 km/58 mi), Taw, Teign, Torridge; National Parks: Dartmoor, ExmoorFeatures
Lundy bird sanctuary and marine nature reserve in the Bristol ChannelAgriculture
sheep and dairy farming, beef cattle; cider and clotted cream; fishingIndustries
kaolin; Dartington glass; quarrying (granite, limestone, sandstone); minerals (copper, iron, lead, manganese); tourismPopulation
(2001) 704,500Famous people
St Boniface, Henry de Bracton, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Davis, Francis Drake, Humphrey Gilbert, Richard Grenville, John Hawkins, Charles Kingsley, Thomas Newcomen, Walter Raleigh, Joshua Reynolds, Robert F Scott, Joanna SouthcottBoundariesDevon is bounded by the Bristol Channel on the north; by Cornwall on the west; by the English Channel on the south; and by Dorset and Somerset on the east. |
TopographyThe surface of Devon is hilly, with the rolling uplands of Dartmoor, and its numerous rugged tors, in the southwest. On the lower slopes of hills the soil is fertile, especially in the lower Exe valley, which has orchards and market gardens. The northern coast is very rugged, with cliffs 122–152 m/400–500 ft high; there are also rocky inlets, the largest of which is Bideford Bay. On the southern coast are the headlands Bolt Tail and Start Point, and the harbours Tor Bay and Plymouth Sound, one of the best harbours in Britain. |
HistoryParts of Devon, particularly Dartmoor, are rich in prehistoric remains. It was one of the last counties to be conquered by the Saxons, and became one of the wealthiest parts of England, with an economy based on farming, fishing, mining, and the tin and woollen trades. There was also a large overseas trade; however, this began to decline during the 17th century. |
Devon
| River in Clackmannanshire unitary authority, Scotland, rising in the Ochil Hills at a height of 550 m/1,432 ft, and flowing 53 km/33 mi to join the River Forth at Cambus. Below the Crook of Devon, a swift turn in its course, lie a series of impressive falls known as the Devil's Mill, Cauldron Linn, and Rumbling Bridge. The river provides excellent trout fishing. |
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