Back Bedfordshire Afrikaans Bedfordshire AN بيدفوردشير Arabic بيدفوردشير ARZ Bedfordshire AST Bedfordshire BAN Bedfordshire BAR Бедфардшыр Byelorussian Бэдфардшыр BE-X-OLD Бедфордшър Bulgarian
Bedfordshire | |
|---|---|
 Location of Bedfordshire in England | |
| Coordinates: 52°05′N 0°25′W / 52.083°N 0.417°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East |
| Established | Ancient |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| UK Parliament | List of MPs |
| Police | Bedfordshire Police |
| Largest town | Luton |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Lord Lieutenant | Susan Lousada |
| High Sheriff | Russel Beard (2023-24) |
| Area | 1,235 km2 (477 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 41st of 48 |
| Population (2022)[1] | 715,940 |
| • Rank | 36th of 48 |
| Density | 580/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | 72.0% White 16.6%. Asian 5.6% Black Mixed 3.8% 1.9% Other[2] |
| Districts | |
 Districts of Bedfordshire Unitary | |
| Districts | |
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Bedfordshire (/ˈbɛdfərdʃɪər, -ʃər/; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Luton (225,262),[3][not verified in body] and Bedford is the county town.[4]
The county has an area of 1,235 km2 (477 sq mi) and had a population of 704,736 at the 2021 census.[2] Its other towns include Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable, Biggleswade, Houghton Regis, and Flitwick. Much of the county is rural. For local government purposes, Bedfordshire comprises three unitary authority areas: Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton.
The county's highest point is 243 m (797 ft) on Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns.[5]
- ^ "Mid-2022 population estimates by Lieutenancy areas (as at 1997) for England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Bedford LA (E06000055)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023. plus UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Central Bedfordshire LA (E06000056)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023. plus UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Luton LA (E06000032)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Luton LA (E06000032)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "About Bedford". Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Bathurst, David (2012). Walking the county high points of England. Chichester: Summersdale. pp. 65–68. ISBN 978-1-84-953239-6.