Chester Cathedral, England Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChesterCathedral_int..jpg Author: Japiot
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. It covers 2,343 sq km (905 sq mi) and has a population exceeding one million people (2012 estimate). It is bordered by Merseyside and Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, and Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales to the west.
Apart from the towns along the River Mersey, much of Cheshire is rural in character. The county is famous for producing Cheshire cheese. Other products of the area include salt and woven silk.
The history of Cheshire goes back to the Norman conquest of 1066. The locals resisted the Normans for a further three years before being defeated in 1069. Human habitation is believed to go back even earlier, as evidence by the discovery of prehistoric burial gounds in The Bridgestones, near Congleton. Remains of Iron Age hill forts were also discovered at various locations in Cheshire.
The soil in Cheshire comprises mostly of boulder clay. The land is a plain separating the hills of North Wales with the Peak District of Derbyshire. It was formed by retreating Ice Age glaciers which left a geological feature known as kettle holes, or locally referred to as meres. Shining Tor is the highest point in Cheshire, at 559 m (1,834 ft).