Hertfordshire ( , ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Watford. The county has an area of and had an estimated population of in . Watford is in the south-west of the county, and its other settlements include Stevenage in the north, the city of St Albans in the centre, and Hemel Hempstead in the west. For local government purposes Hertfordshire is a non-metropolitan county with ten districts. Potters Bar in the south-east of the county was historically part of Middlesex. Hertfordshire centres on the headwaters and upper valleys of the rivers Lea and the Colne; both flow south and each is accompanied by a canal. Elevations are higher in the north and west, reaching more than in the Chilterns near Tring. Hertfordshire's undeveloped land is mai ...

Essex ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the south, Greater London to the south-west, and Hertfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is Southend-on-Sea. The county has an area of and had an estimated population of in . The south of the county is densely populated, and includes Southend-on-Sea in the south-east and Basildon in the south-centre. The centre and north of the county is more rural, and its principal settlements include Chelmsford in the centre and Colchester in the north-east. The districts of Chelmsford, Colchester and Southend hold city status. For local government purposes Essex comprises a non-metropolitan county, with twelve districts, and two unitary authority areas: Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea. The county historically included north-east Greater London, the River Lea forming its western border. Esse ...

Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south-east and south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Luton. The county has an area of and had an estimated population of in . Luton is in the south of the county, and Dunstable neighbours it to the west. Leighton Buzzard is in the south-west, and Bedford in the centre-north. For local government purposes Bedfordshire comprises three unitary authority areas: Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton. The centre of Bedfordshire is a gently undulating clay plateau, out of which rises a ridge of greensand that runs south-west to north-east and which has a distinct north-facing escarpment. The south of the county, around Luton, contains part of the chalk Chiltern Hills, and the north of the county part of a limestone ridge that runs between Milton Keynes a ...

Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, Northamptonshire to the west, and Bedfordshire to the south-west. The city of Peterborough is the largest settlement. The county has an area of and had an estimated population of 906,814 in 2022. Peterborough is in the north-west and the city of Cambridge in the south. The remainder of the county is rural, and contains the city of Ely in the east, Wisbech in the north-east, and St Neots and Huntingdon in the west. For local government purposes Cambridgeshire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with five districts, and the unitary authority area of Peterborough; their local authorities collaborate through Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. The county did not historically include Huntingdonshire or the Soke of ...

Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the east, Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, and Oxfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Milton Keynes. The county has an area of and had an estimated population of in . Besides Milton Keynes, which is in the north-east, the largest settlements are in the centre and south of the county and include Aylesbury, High Wycombe, and Chesham. For local government purposes the county comprises two unitary authority areas, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. The county historically had slightly different borders, and included the towns of Slough and Eton. It is one of the home counties. The Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, occupy the south of the county and contain its highest point, Haddington Hill (). The Chilt ...

A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. A borough is usually smaller than a city. History In the Middle Ages, boroughs were settlements in England that were granted some self-government; burghs were the Scottish equivalent. In medieval England, boroughs were also entitled to elect members of parliament. The use of the word ''borough'' probably derives from the burghal system of Alfred the Great. Alfred set up a system of defensive strong points ( burhs); in order to maintain these particular settlements, he granted them a degree of autonomy. After the Norman Conquest, when certain towns were granted self-governance, the concept of the burh/borough seems to have been reused to mean a self-governing settlement. The concept of the borough has been used repeatedly (and often differently) throughout ...

A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but lists are frequently written down on paper, or maintained electronically. Although lists may be made for entertainment, lists are "most frequently a tool". Purpose It has been observed that, with a few exceptions, "the scholarship on lists remains fragmented". In 2009, David Wallechinsky, a co-author of '' The Book of Lists'', described the attraction of lists as being a response to "an era of overstimulation, especially in terms of information", further asserting that "lists help us in organizing what is otherwise overwhelming". Philologist and literary scholar Lucie Doležalová has noted that "one does not ''read'' but only ''uses'' a list: one looks up the relevant information in it, but usually does not need to deal with it as a who ...

Chiltern can refer to the following places: In England: * Chiltern Hills, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, known locally as "the Chilterns" ** Chiltern District, a local government district in Buckinghamshire named after the hills ** Chiltern Open Air Museum, an open-air museum in the same hills * Chiltern Hundreds, ancient administrative area lying partially in the Chiltern Hills ** Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham, a political appointment * Chiltern Main Line, a railway line that runs through the Chiltern Hills ** Chiltern Railways, the company that operates the line * Chiltern Radio Network, a group of radio stations based in Dunstable ** Heart Dunstable, one of the stations in that group, previously known as "Chiltern Radio" * Chiltern Court, building above Baker Street tube station, London * Chiltern Street, a street in Marylebone, London In Australia: * Chiltern, Victoria, a town near Rutherglen ** Chilte ...