Devon (/ˈdɛvən/ DEV-ən, historically known as Devonshire /-ʃɪər, -ʃər/ -⁠sheer, -⁠shər) is a ceremonial county in South West England. The county borders the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west. Plymouth is the largest settlement. The county has an area of 6,707 km2 (2,590 sq mi) and a population of 1,194,166. The largest settlements after Plymouth (264,695) are the city of Exeter (130,709) and the seaside resorts of Torquay and Paignton, which have a combined population of 115,410. They all are located along the south coast, which is the most populous part of the county; Barnstaple (46,619) and Tiverton (22,291) are the largest towns in the north and centre respectively. For administrative purposes most of Devon is a two-tier county governed by Devon County Council and eight district councils, with the City of Plymouth and Torbay districts forming unitary authorites governed by Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council respectively. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)