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Cheshire
Cheshire is a county in the West central region of England.
It has a population of approximately 950,000 and covers 901
square miles (2,334 sq km) . The county seat is Chester.
In Cheshire there are the popular towns of Barton, Macclesfield,
Weaverham, Chester and Crewe.
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Geography
The countryside is generally low, flat, and fertile. The
main rivers are the Mersey and the Dee, which forms the
boundary between Cheshire and Wales. The Wirral peninsula
divides the estuaries of the two rivers.
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Industry
The county is important agriculturally and industrially. It
engages extensively in dairy farming and grows potatoes and
wheat. Chief industries are engineering, salt mining,
shipbuilding, oil refining, and the manufacture of railroad
cars, textiles, textile machinery, soap, paper, and
chemicals. The principal industrial centres include
Northwich, Crewe, and Macclesfield.
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History
Cheshire was created a palatinate by King William I (William
the Conqueror) and enjoyed some of its privileges until
1830. In the last century the population of the county
greatly increased with the industrialization and development
of the Wirral peninsula and the part of Cheshire just South
of Manchester, which has grown a great deal over the last 50
years.
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