Pembrokeshire (Welsh: Sir Benfro) is a county in the southwest of Wales in the United Kingdom.
Pembrokeshire is a maritime county, washed by the sea on all sides except in the northeast where it is bounded by Ceredigion and in the east where it is bounded by Carmarthenshire. Its population is 112,000. The highest point is at Foel Cwmcerwyn (1759ft/536m). The county boasts 170 miles (≈275 km) of magnificent coastline comprising important seabird breeding sites and numerous bays and sandy beaches. Almost all of the coast is included in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. In the north are the Preseli Mountains (Mynyddoedd Preseli), a wide stretch of high moorland with many prehistoric monuments. Elsewhere the county is relatively flat, most of the land being used for lowland farming. Oil tankers dock in the deep estuarine waters of Milford Haven. The chief rivers are the Eastern Cleddau, the Western Cleddau and the Solva. The main industries are tourism, agriculture and oil refining. The county town is Haverfordwest.
History
The county was founded as a county palatine in 1138 with Gilbert de Clare as the first Earl of Pembroke. It has long been split between its Anglicized south (known as "Little England beyond Wales") and its Welsh north.
Administration
Between 1889 and 1974 the county had an elected county council for the first time. Between 1974 and 1996 the county was administered as two districts (South Pembrokeshire and Preseli) of the non-metropolitan county of Dyfed. Since 1996 it has been administered as a unitary authority.
| 
