Flintshire - History, Geography, Fairtrade

pop (2001e) 148 600; area 437 km²/169 sq mi. County (unitary authority from 1996) in NE Wales, UK; drained by R Clwyd; administrative centre, Mold; other chief towns, Flint, Queensferry; tourism, agriculture, light industry; castles at Flint, Hawarden; St Winifred's Well at Holywell; Theatre Clwyd.

History

The current administrative area of Flintshire (a unitary authority) came into existence in 1996, when the former administrative county of Clwyd was split into three smaller areas. In terms of pre-1974 divisions, thea area comprises

the former borough of Flint the urban districts of Buckley, Connah's Quay, Holywell, Mold the rural district of Holywell Rural District all of Hawarden Rural District except the parish of Marford and hosley

The district of Rhuddlan, which was also formed entirely from the administrative county of Flintshire was included in the new Denbighshire instead. Other parts of the pre-1974 administrative Flintshire to be excluded from the principal area are the Maelor Rural District and the parish of Marford and Hoseley, which became part of the Wrexham Maelor district in 1974 and are now part of the Wrexham county borough.

Geography

see List of places in Flintshire for a list of towns and villages. It borders, in England, Merseyside (across the River Dee) and Cheshire, and in Wales, Wrexham and Denbighshire. The wings for the A380, which are too large to be transported by air use a multi-modal transport using Flintshire's roads, the River Dee and the port of Mostyn, also in Flintshire.

Fairtrade

On November 19, 2004, Flintshire was granted Fairtrade County status.

Education

Flintshire Local Education Authority manages 75 primary schools, 3 special schools and 12 high schools.