Peak District

Peak District
A view of Mam Tor
Highest point
Peak	Kinder Scout
Elevation	636 m (2,087 ft)
Coordinates	53°23′0″N 1°52′2″W / 53.38333°N 1.86722°W / 53.38333; -1.86722
Geography
Location	Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire
Countries	England, United Kingdom
Areas	Dark Peak, White Peak
Largest settlements	Glossop, Bakewell, Buxton
Geology
Rock age	Primarily Carboniferous
Rock type	Primarily sedimentary
Peak District National Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Peak District National Park (shaded green) within England
Area	555 sq mi (1,440 km2)
Designated	17 April 1951 (1951-04-17)
Visitors	Over 13 million[1]
Administrator	Peak District National Park Authority
Website	www.peakdistrict.gov.uk

The Peak District is an upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is subdivided into the Dark Peak, moorland dominated by gritstone, and the White Peak, a limestone area with valleys and gorges. The Dark Peak forms an arc on the north, east and west of the district, and the White Peak covers central and southern areas. The highest point is Kinder Scout (2,087 ft (636 m)). Most of the area is within the Peak District National Park, a protected landscape designated in 1951.^[2]

A 2021 report states that "the Park’s own population numbers around 40,000 and supports an estimated 18,000 jobs, predominantly through farming, manufacturing and, inevitably, tourism".^[3]

The area has been inhabited since the Mesolithic era; it was largely used for agricultural purposes until mining arose in the Middle Ages. During the Industrial Revolution, several cotton mills were constructed in the area's valleys by Richard Arkwright. As mining declined, quarrying grew. Tourism came with the railways, spurred by the landscape, spa towns and Castleton's show caves.