County Dossier
Derry / Londonderry
A county of walls, rivers and plantations.
Derry / Londonderry is a maritime county on Ulster's north coast, stretching from the River Bann in the east to the border with Donegal in the west.
At a glance
Derry / Londonderry at a glance
A county of walls, rivers and plantations.
- Ancient kingdom of Aileach
- Created as County Londonderry from Coleraine and parts of Tyrone, Antrim , Donegal
- Derry City walls built (1613)
- Area: 816 sq miles / 2,113 km²
- Population: 247,971
- County top: Sawel Mountain 2,224 ft / 678 m
County Geography
Derry / Londonderry meets Donegal to the west and south-west, Tyrone to the south, Antrim across the Bann to the east, and the open sea forms the northern coast while Lough Neagh reaches the county’s south-eastern side. The county is shaped by the Foyle and Bann systems, the broad north-coast frontage, and the southern rise into the Sperrins.
Derry / Londonderry is easy to recognise through the north coast, the Foyle and Bann systems, and the Sperrin edge.
Map Reference
View Derry / Londonderry on the map
Derry / Londonderry 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
Derry / Londonderry city, Coleraine, Limavady, Magherafelt, and Magilligan show the county from its Foyle-side capital and eastern river district to its interior market side and north-coast edge.
Connections
The county’s routes have long followed the Foyle and Bann corridors, crossed between Coleraine and the county town, and linked the coastal strip with the southern upland side. Movement follows the same coast, river, and upland pattern.
Names
- Derry / Londonderry
- County Derry / Londonderry
- Doire
Doire is the Irish form of Derry. County Derry / Londonderry is the formal historical style used here, County Londonderry is the later county form from 1613, and older records also preserve London-Derrie beside the Derry name.
The county joins the Foyle valley, the Bann side, and the southern Sperrins within one clear north-western historic county. Those coast, river, and upland relationships remain visible.