Monmouthshire
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{{otheruses2|Monmouthshire}}
{| class="toccolours" style="border-collapse: collapse; float: right; clear: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="260"
|+ <big>'''Monmouthshire principal area'''</big>
|-
| colspan=2 style="text-align: center; background: white;"|[[Image:WalesMonmouthshire.png]]
|-
| colspan=2 style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;"|Geography
|-
! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Surface area|Area]]'''<br />- Total<br />- % Water
| [[List of Welsh principal areas by area|Ranked 7th]]<br />[[1 E8 m²|850]] [[square kilometre|km²]]<br />? %
|-
! Admin HQ
| [[Cwmbran]]
|-
! [[ISO 3166-2:GB|ISO 3166-2]]
| GB-MON
|-
! [[ONS coding system|ONS code]]
| 00PP
|-
| colspan=2 style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;"|Demographics
|-
! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Population]]''':<br />- Total ({{Welsh council population|TXT=Year}})<br />- [[Density]]<br />
|[[List of Welsh principal areas by population|Ranked {{Welsh council population|RNK=00PP}}]]<br />{{Welsh council population|POP=00PP}}<br />[[List of Welsh principal areas by population density|Ranked {{Welsh council population|DRK=00PP}}]]<br />{{Welsh council population|DEN=00PP}} / km²
|-
! Ethnicity
| 97.5% White
|-
! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Welsh language]]'''<br />- Any skills
| [[List of Welsh principal areas by percentage Welsh language|Ranked 22nd]]<br />12.9%
|-
![[MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005|MP]]
|
*[[David Davies (Welsh politician)|David Davies]]
|-
![[Assembly Member|AM]]
|
*[[Nick Ramsay]]
|}
'''Monmouthshire''' ({{lang-cy|Sir Fynwy}}) is a [[principal area]] in south east [[Wales]]. The name derives from the ancient county of [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]] which covers a larger area.
==Ancient county==
{{Main|Monmouthshire (historic)}}
The ancient county of Monmouthshire was formed from the [[Welsh Marches]] by the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542|Laws in Wales Act 1535]]. The county bordered [[Gloucestershire]] to the east, [[Herefordshire]] to the northeast, [[Brecknockshire]] to the north, and [[Glamorgan]] to the west. Historically there is some ambiguity as to whether the county was part of Wales or England, but since [[1974]] the area has been placed definitively in [[Wales]]. The eastern and southern boundaries of the historic county and principal area are the same; however, the western two-fifths of the historic county are now administered by the other [[Subdivisions of Wales|unitary authorities]] of [[Blaenau Gwent]], [[Torfaen]], and [[Newport]]. The [[administrative county]] of Monmouthshire, and associated [[Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire|Lieutenancy]] were abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. The area largely became part of the new local government and ceremonial county of [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]].
==Principal area==
{{main|Monmouthshire Council}}
The current [[subdivisions of Wales#Principal areas of Wales|unitary authority]] was created on [[April 1]], [[1996]] as a successor to the district of [[Monmouth (district)|Monmouth]] along with the [[Llanelly]] community from [[Blaenau Gwent]], both of which were [[Districts of Wales|district]]s of [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]].
The use of the name "Monmouthshire" rather than "Monmouth" for the area was mildly controversial, being supported by the MP for [[Monmouth (UK Parliament constituency)|Monmouth]], [[Roger Evans]], but being opposed by [[Paul Murphy (politician)|Paul Murphy]], MP for [[Torfaen (UK Parliament constituency)|Torfaen]] (inside the historic county of Monmouthshire but being reconstituted as a separate unitary authority).
<ref>[http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1994-03-15/Debate-4.html Hansard, House of Commons, March 15, 1994, Column 782]</ref> By area it covers some 60% of the historic county, but only 20% of the population.
The council's administrative headquarters are at the former Gwent County Hall at [[Croesyceiliog]], [[Cwmbran]] — outside of its own jurisdiction in the neighbouring borough of [[Torfaen]]. It is the only principal area in Wales administered from outside its boundaries. In comparison to the pre-1974 areas it covers:
*the former boroughs of [[Abergavenny]] and [[Monmouth]]
*the former urban districts of [[Chepstow]] and [[Usk]]
*the former rural districts of [[Abergavenny Rural District|Abergavenny]], [[Chepstow Rural District|Chepstow]] and [[Monmouth Rural District|Monmouth]]
*the former rural district of Pontypool, except the community of Llanfrechfa Lower
*the parish of [[Llanelly]] from the former [[Crickhowell Rural District]] in [[Brecknockshire]]
==Places of interest==
[[Image:Ragland castle t100.jpg|thumb|right|Raglan Castle]]
:''See [[List of places in Monmouthshire]] for a list of settlements in the principal area''.
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; -webkit-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
*[[Chepstow Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/203742]
*[[Raglan Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/286951]
*[[Monmouth]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/11200]
*[[Trellech]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/262365]
*[[Abergavenny Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/23974]
*[[Wye Valley]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/543505]
*[[Black Mountains, Wales|Black Mountains]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/129254]
*[[Brecon Beacons National Park]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/355915]
*[[White Castle (Wales)|White Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/168047]
*[[Skenfrith Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/288937]
*[[Grosmont Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/213768]
*[[Three Castles Walk]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/568727]
*[[Offa's Dyke]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/124773]
*[[Llanthony Priory]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/145095]
*[[Tintern Abbey]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1001]
*[[Usk]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/199442]
*[[Usk Valley Walk]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/70264]
*[[Abergavenny]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/23648]
*[[Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/142259]
*[[Marches Way]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/384710]
*[[Monnow Valley Walk]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/350159]
*[[Caldicot Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/289963]
*[[Big Pit National Coal Museum]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/436091]
</div>
==Schools==
Top performing [[secondary school]]s in Monmouthshire, (5 [[GCSE]]s, grades A-C), according to the latest inspection report from [[Estyn]]:
:64% [[Chepstow School]], [[Chepstow]]
:59% [[Monmouth Comprehensive School]], [[Monmouth]]
:53% [[King Henry VIII School Abergavenny|King Henry VIII School]], [[Abergavenny]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.monmouthshire.org.uk/ The Original Monmouthshire website Monmouthshire.org.uk]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/monmouthshire/ BBC Wales on Monmouthshire]
*[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/MON/Gaz1868.html Genuki National Gazetteer of 1868]
{{Wales subdivisions}}
[[Category:Monmouthshire| ]]
[[br:Menoe]]
[[cy:Sir Fynwy]]
[[de:Monmouthshire]]
[[et:Monmouthshire]]
[[eo:Monmouthshire]]
[[fr:Sir Fynwy]]
[[it:Monmouthshire]]
[[nl:Monmouthshire]]
[[no:Monmouthshire]]
[[pl:Monmouthshire]]
[[ro:Monmouthshire]]
[[ru:Монмутшир]]
[[simple:Monmouthshire]]
[[sv:Monmouthshire]]