Yorkshire (/ˈjɔːrkʃər, -ʃɪər/ YORK-shər, -⁠sheer) is an area of Northern England which was historically a county.[1] Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity.[2] The county was named after its original county town, the city of York.

The south-west of Yorkshire is densely populated, and includes the cities of Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, and Wakefield. The north and east of the county are more sparsely populated, however the north east includes the southern part of the Teesside conurbation, and the port city of Kingston upon Hull is located in the south-east. York is located near the centre of the county. Yorkshire has a coastline to the North Sea to the east. The North York Moors occupy the north east of the county, and the centre contains the Vale of Mowbray in the north and the Vale of York in the south. The west contains part of the Pennines, which form the Yorkshire Dales in the north-west.

The historic county was bordered by County Durham to the north, the North Sea to the east, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire to the south, and Lancashire and Westmorland to the west. It was the largest by area in the United Kingdom.[3] From the Middle Ages the county was subdivided into smaller administrative areas; the city of York was a self-governing county corporate from 1396, and the rest of the county was divided into three ridings – North, East, and West. From 1660 onwards each riding had its own lord-lieutenant, and between 1889 and 1974 the ridings were administrative counties. There was a Sheriff of Yorkshire until 1974. Yorkshire gives its name to four modern ceremonial counties: East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire, which together cover most of the historic county.[a]

Yorkshire Day is observed annually on 1 August and is a celebration of the general culture of Yorkshire, including its history and dialect.[4] Its name is used by several institutions, for example the Royal Yorkshire Regiment of the British Army,[5] in sport, and in the media. The emblem of Yorkshire is a white rose, which was originally the heraldic badge of the British royal House of York. The county is sometimes referred to as "God's own country".[6] Yorkshire is represented in sport by Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Yorkshire Rugby Football Union.
