Northumberland

Northumberland
Ceremonial county
Bamburgh Castle; Morpeth Clock Tower; and the lighthouse on East Pier, Blyth
Ceremonial Northumberland Ceremonial Northumberland Historic Northumberland Historic Northumberland
Coordinates: 55°10′N 2°00′W / 55.167°N 2.000°W / 55.167; -2.000
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	North East
Established	Ancient 12th century
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
UK Parliament	List of MPs
Police	Northumbria Police
Fire	Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service
Largest town	Blyth
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant	Dr Caroline Pryer
High Sheriff	Lucia Bridgeman[1] (2024–25)
Area	5,020 km2 (1,940 sq mi)
• Rank	6th of 48
Population  (2022)[2]	324,362
• Rank	44th of 48
Density	65/km2 (170/sq mi)
Ethnicity  (2021)[3]	List 97.6% White 1.1% Asian 0.8% Mixed 0.3% other 0.2% Black
Unitary authority
Council	Northumberland County Council
Control	No overall control
Admin HQ	Morpeth
Area	5,020 km2 (1,940 sq mi)
• Rank	2nd of 296
Population  (2022)[4]	324,362
• Rank	39th of 296
Density	65/km2 (170/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2	GB-NBL
GSS code	E06000057
ITL	TLC21
Website	www.northumberland.gov.uk

Northumberland (/nɔːrˈθʌmbərlənd/ nor-THUM-bər-lənd)^[5] is a ceremonial county in North East England, bordering Scotland. It is bordered by the Scottish Borders to the north, the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, and Cumbria to the west. The town of Blyth is the largest settlement. Northumberland is the northernmost county in England.

The county has an area of 5,013 km² (1,936 sq mi) and a population of 320,274, making it the least-densely populated county in England. The south-east contains the largest towns: Blyth (37,339), Cramlington (27,683), Ashington (27,670), and Morpeth (14,304), which is the administrative centre. The remainder of the county is rural, and the largest towns are Berwick-upon-Tweed (12,043) in the far north and Hexham (13,097) in the west. For local government purposes the county is a unitary authority area. The county historically included the parts of Tyne and Wear north of the River Tyne.

The west of Northumberland contains part of the Cheviot Hills and North Pennines, while to the east the land becomes flatter before reaching the coast. The Cheviot (815 m (2,674 ft)), after which the range of hills is named, is the county's highest point. The county contains the source of the River North Tyne and much of the South Tyne; near Hexham they combine to form the Tyne, which exits into Tyne and Wear shortly downstream. The other major rivers in Northumberland are, from south to north, the Blyth, Coquet, Aln, Wansbeck and Tweed, the last of which forms part of the Scottish border. The county contains Northumberland National Park and two national landscapes: the Northumberland Coast and part of the North Pennines.

Much of the county's history has been defined by its position on a border. In the Roman era most of the county lay north of Hadrian's Wall, and the region was contested between England and Scotland into the Early Modern era, leading to the construction of many castles, peel towers and bastle houses, and the early modern fortifications at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Northumberland is also associated with Celtic Christianity, particularly the tidal island of Lindisfarne. During the Industrial Revolution the area had significant coal mining, shipbuilding, and armaments industries.