| Leicestershire
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|
| Geography
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| Status: | Ceremonial & (smaller) Administrative County
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| Region: | East Midlands
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Area:
- Total
- Admin. council
- Admin. area | Ranked 28th
2,156 km²
Ranked 26th
2,083 km²
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| Admin HQ: | Glenfield
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| ISO 3166-2: | GB-LEC
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| ONS code: | 31
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| NUTS 3: | UKF22
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| Demographics
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Population:
- Total (2002 est.)
- Density
- Admin. council
- Admin. pop. | Ranked 21st
899,069
417 / km²
Ranked 17th
615,491
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| Ethnicity: | 85.0% White
11.9% S.Asian
1.2% Afro-Carib.
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| Politics
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Leicestershire County Council
http://www.leics.gov.uk/
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| Executive: | Conservative
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| Members of Parliament
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| Stephen Dorrell, Alan Duncan, Edward Garnier, Parmjit Singh Gill, Patricia Hewitt, Andy Reed, Andrew Robathan, David Taylor, David Tredinnick, Keith Vaz
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| Districts
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- Charnwood
- Melton
- Harborough
- Oadby and Wigston
- Blaby
- Hinckley and Bosworth
- North West Leicestershire
- Leicester (Unitary)
|
Leicestershire (abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester which has traditionally been its administrative centre, but is now a unitary authority administratively separate from Leicestershire. It borders onto Leicester, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Staffordshire, and contains part of the National Forest.
The population of Leicestershire (excluding Leicester) is 609,579 (2001). The county covers an area of 2,084 sq km (804 sq mi).
Leicestershire's administrative centre is Leicestershire County Council County Hall, located in Glenfield.
History
 The County Hall building was built around 1974. Leicestershire was recorded in the Domesday Book in four wapentakes: Guthlaxton, Framland, Goscote and Gartree. These later became hundreds, with the division of Goscote into West Goscote and East Goscote, and the addition of Sparkenhoe hundred.
Leicestershire's external boundaries have changed little since the Domesday Survey. The Measham-Donisthorpe exclave of Derbyshire has been exchanged for the Netherseal/Overseall area, and the urban expansion of Market Harborough has caused Little Bowdon, previously in Northamptonshire to be annexed.
In 1974, due to the Local Government Act 1972, the county of Rutland was annexed to Leicestershire as a district, and Leicester's county borough status was abolished, it becoming a district also. Both these actions were reversed on April 1, 1996.
Towns and villages
- Anstey, Arnesby, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Ashby Magna, Aston Flamville
- Barrow-on-Soar, Barwell, Birstall, Blaby, Bottesford, Breedon on the Hill, Broughton Astley, Burbage, Burton on the Wolds Bushby, Beeby, Billesdon
- Cadeby, Coalville, Countesthorpe, Croft
- Desford, Donisthorpe
- Earl Shilton, East Norton, Edith Weston, Enderby
- Gaddesby, Glenfield, Groby
- Hallaton, Hinckley, Horninghold, Husbands Bosworth, Hungarton, Houghton on the Hill
- Ibstock
- Kegworth, Kirby Muxloe
- Little Dalby, Loughborough, Lutterworth
- Market Bosworth, Market Harborough, Measham, Melton Mowbray, Moira, Mountsorrel
- Newton Harcourt, Newtown Linford, Normanton
- Oadby, Old Dalby
- Peatling Parva
- Queniborough, Quorndon
- Rothley
- Shackerstone, Shearsby, Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Shepshed, Sileby, Stoney Stanton, Sutton Cheney, Swinford, Syston
- Thurmaston, Thurnby, Twycross
- Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Whitwick, Walton, Wigston, Woodhouse Eaves, Wycomb
Places of interest
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