pop (2001e) 93 100; area 844 km²/326 sq mi. County (unitary authority from 1996) in NC Wales, UK; drained by R Clwyd; administrative centre, Ruthin; other chief towns, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Denbigh, St Asaph; tourism on coast; St Asaph cathedral (founded 573); music festival at St Asaph (Sep); international eisteddfod at Llangollen (Jul).
Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych) is a principal area and county in North Wales.
Formation
The present principal area was formed on April 1, 1996, under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, from various parts of the county of Clwyd. It included the district of Rhuddlan (which was formed in 1974 entirely from Flintshire), the communities of Trefnant and Cefnmeiriadog from the district of Colwyn (which was entirely Denbighshire) and most of the Glyndwr district. The part of the Glyndwr district included the entirety of the former Edeyrnion Rural District, which was part of the administrative county of Merionethshire prior to 1974 - which covered the the parishes of Betys Gwerfil Goch, Corwen, Gwyddelwern, Llangar, Llanillo in Edeirnion and Llansanffraid.
Other principal areas containing part of historic Denbighshire are Conwy, which picked up the remainder of the 1974-1996 Colwyn, and also the Denbigshire parts of the 1974-1996 Aberconwy, and Wrexham, which corresponds to the pre-1974 borough of Wrexham along with most of the Wrexham Rural District and also several parishes from Glyndwr.
The post-1996 Powys includes the historic Denbighshire parishes of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Llansilin and Llangedwyn, which had formed part of Glyndwr district.
Population
Denbighshire's total population at the 2001 census was 93,065, with the largest towns on the coast at Rhyl (pop.
Economy
There are no heavy industrial sites in the county although most of the towns have small industrial estates for light industry, the economy of the area being based on agriculture and tourism.
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