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	County Town: Durham County Population: 610,000 (estimate)
	Situated between the Rivers Tyne and Tees and stretching from the attractive Pennine Hills in the West, to an industrial area bordering the North Sea, County Durham is an area of contrasts.
	The early historical importance of the region relates to its location near the English-Scottish border. After Roman occupation, it became part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria and continued to suffer from border warfare during the Middle Ages. The medieval Prince Bishops of Durham wielded tremendous political power during this period, and as well as being powerful clerics in the English Church, they were also great feudal lords. The historical importance of their position is reflected in the fact that the Bishop of Durham is one of the five Lords Spiritual of England who sits in the House of Lords. The Bishop of Durham today plays a senior role in the Church of England.
	County Durham was economically unimportant until the 19th century, when exploitation of the coalfields triggered rapid industrial growth. Iron and steel foundries sprung up around the mouth of the River Tees, but the traditional heavy industries declined rapidly in the 20th century. High-tech sector industries including electronics, biotechnology, and information technology are now filling the space once occupied by the heavy industries.
	The city of Durham is home to the third-oldest university in England, and is the religious, educational, and cultural centre of County Durham, with a skyline dominated by a Norman castle and the cathedral of Christ and Blessed Mary The Virgin (suggested to be the finest Norman architecture in the UK).
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