County Dossier
Cambridgeshire
County of scholars & Saxons, with learning at its heart.
Cambridgeshire is an inland county of East Anglia. Its southern part is dominated by the city of Cambridge, home to the ancient university.
At a glance
Cambridgeshire at a glance
County of scholars & Saxons, with learning at its heart.
- c.1010 = Grantabrycgscir
- 1086: 'Grentebrigescire'
- 'Bridging the River Cam'
- Area: 858 sq miles / 2,222 km²
- Population: 460,448
- County top: Castle Camps 420 ft / 128 m
County Geography
Cambridgeshire meets Huntingdonshire on the west and stands between Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, and Lincolnshire. Its county form is read through the Cam basin, drained fenland, and the firmer southern upland edge.
Cambridge, the Cam, and the transition from chalk edge to fen give the county a clear internal logic.
Map Reference
View Cambridgeshire on the map
Cambridgeshire is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Cambridge, Ely, Wisbech, March, and Chatteris show the county from university city and cathedral island to fen-edge port and reclaimed fenland towns. They locate Cambridgeshire more precisely than the wider modern label does.
Connections
Routes across the county have long followed the Cam, the fen causeways, and the roads converging on Cambridge and Ely. The movement pattern belongs to the historic county itself.
Names
- Cambridgeshire
- County of Cambridge
- Cambs
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County Reference
Explore Cambridgeshire
Open the map to explore Cambridgeshire, or return to the county index to browse other counties.