Historic county of Wales
Denbighshire
Sir Ddinbych
Irish Sea north, Vale of Clwyd within, uplands and border country east and south.
Denbighshire / Sir Ddinbych stretches from the north Welsh coast deep into the inland country of the north-east. The Vale of Clwyd creates one of its clearest landscapes, enclosed between higher ground before opening towards the sea.
Further east the county becomes increasingly associated with hill country and the Welsh border, while the south rises through river valleys towards more rugged upland. Denbighshire therefore joins coast, fertile vale, industrial and urban country, river valley and mountain edge within one long and varied territory.
- Lands of Perfeddwlad
- Formed of ancient Welsh Cantrefs: Rhos, Rhufoniog, Dyffryn Clwyd, Iâl, Nanheudwy, Cynllaith
- Ancient 'Denbighland'
- Area: 668 sq miles / 1,730 km²
- Population: 227,680
- County top: Cadair Berwyn south summit 2,726 ft / 830 m
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
England and Wales Census 2021. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 341.2 people per sq mi (131.7 people per km²)
- Population
- 227,376
The Vale of Clwyd
The Vale provides Denbighshire with its most recognisable internal landscape: a broad north–south corridor enclosed by hills.
Its farmland and settlements contrast strongly with the more broken country on either side.
Coast and eastern country
The northern edge opens onto the Irish Sea, producing a coastal landscape very different from the inland vale.
Further east, settlement becomes denser and the county turns towards the border country, adding an industrial and urban dimension to the largely rural image often associated with Denbighshire.
Valleys towards the uplands
Southwards, river valleys penetrate increasingly high country and provide natural routes through otherwise difficult terrain.
This transition from coast and lowland to enclosed upland is one of the county’s defining geographical movements.
County questions
Questions about Denbighshire
Is the Denbighshire council area the same as Denbighshire?
No. Denbighshire is the geographic county. The council area using the name is a separate local-government area and does not reproduce the county.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Denbigh
- Local name
- Sir Ddinbych
- Foundation
- 1535
Denbighshire and Sir Ddinbych are forms associated with the county. Its coastal, vale and border landscapes remain much more extensive than the council area which currently borrows its name.