Cambridgeshire is both a County and an administrative county in the south-east of the country, forming part of the United Kingdom. The local government administrative are has boundaries with Lincolnshire and Norfolk to the north, Suffolk to the east, Essex to the southeast, Hertfordshire to the southwest, Bedfordshire to the west and Northamptonshire to the northwest. Its population is between 553,600 (2000 estimate) and 730,000 (2002 EEDA estimate). The county town is Cambridge.
Famous people from the Cambridgeshire area include: Oliver Cromwell (Huntingdonshire) , John Major, Samuel Pepys, William Cowper, Dorothy L. Sayers, Lancelot "Capability" Brown, Henry Royce.
Cities in the Cambridgeshire area
Parishes and Towns in East Cambridgeshire District
- Aldreth, Ashley
- Barway, Blackhorse Drove, Bottisham, Brinkley, Burrough Green, Burwell
- Chettisham, Cheveley, Chippenham, Commercial End, Coveney
- Ditton Green, Downham, Dullingham
- Fordham
- Haddenham
- Isleham
- Kennett, Kirtling
- Little Ditton, Little Downham, Little Ouse, Littleport, Little Thetford, Lode, Long Meadow
- Mepal
- Prickwillow, Pymore
- Queen Adelaide
- Reach
- Saxon Street, Snailwell, Soham, Stetchworth, Stretham, Stuntney, Sutton, Sutton Gault, Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham Prior
- Upend, Upware
- Wardy Hill, Wentworth, Westley Waterless, Wicken, Wilburton, Witcham, Witchford, Woodditton
Parishes and Towns in Fenland District
- Benwick
- Chatteris, Christchurch, Coates, Coldham, Collett's Bridge
- Doddington
- Eastrea, Elm, Euximoor
- Fitton End, Foul Anchor, Four Gotes, Friday Bridge
- Gorefield, Guyhirn
- Leverington
- Manea, March, Murrow
- Newton
- Parson Drove, Pondersbridge
- Ramsey Mereside, Ring's End
- Stonea
- Tholomas Drove, Thorney, Thorney Toll, Tips End, Turves, Tydd Gote, Tydd St Giles
- Welches Dam, Welney, Westry, Whittlesey, Wimblington, Wisbech, Wisbech St Mary
Parishes and Towns in Huntingdonshire District
- Abbots Ripton, Abbotsley, Alconbury, Alconbury Weston, Alwalton
- Barham, Bluntisham, Brampton, Brington, Broughton, Buckden, Buckworth, Bury, Bythorn
- Caldecote, Catworth, Chesterton, Colne, Conington, Coppingford, Covington
- Denton, Diddington
- Earith, Easton, Ellington, Elton, Eynesbury Hardwicke
- Farcet, Fenstanton, Fenton, Folksworth
- Glatton, Godmanchester, Grafham, Great Gidding, Great Gransden, Great Paxton, Great Staughton
- Haddon, Hail Weston, Hamerton, Hemingford Abbots, Hemingford Grey, Hilton, Holme, Holywell, Houghton, Huntingdon
- Keyston, Kimbolton, Kings Ripton
- Leighton Bromswold, Little Gidding, Little Paxton
- Midloe, Molesworth, Morborne
- Needingworth
- Offord Cluny, Offord D'Arcy, Oldhurst, Old Weston
- Perry, Pidley
- Ramsey, Ramsey Forty Foot, Ramsey Heights, Ramsey St Mary's, The Raveleys
- St Ives, St Neots, Sawtry, Sibson, Somersham, Southoe, Spaldwick, Steeple Gidding, Stibbington, Stilton, Stonely, Stow Longa, The Stukeleys
- Tetworth, Tilbrook, Toseland
- Upton, Upwood
- Warboys, Waresley, Washingley, Water Newton, Winwick, Wistow, Woodwalton, Woolley, Woodhurst, Wyton
- Yaxley, Yelling
Parishes and Towns in South Cambridgeshire District
- Abington Pigotts, Arrington
- Babraham, Balsham, Barrington, Bartlow, Barton, Bar Hill, Bassingbourn, Bourn, Boxworth
- Caldecote, Cambourne, Camps End, Cardinals Green, Carlton, Castle Camps, Caxton, Childerley, Chittering, Comberton, Conington, Coton, Cottenham, Croxton, Croydon
- Dry Drayton, Duxford
- East Hatley, Elsworth, Eltisley
- Fen Ditton, Fen Drayton, Fowlmere, Foxton, Fulbourn
- Gamlingay, Girton, Grantchester, Graveley, Great Chishill, Great Abington, Great Eversden, Great Shelford, Great Wilbraham, Guilden Morden
- Hardwick, Harlton, Harston, Haslingfield, Hatley, Hatley St George, Hauxton, Heydon, Highfields, Hildersham, Hinxton, Histon, Horningsea, Horseheath
- Ickleton, Impington
- Kingston, Knapwell, Kneesworth
- Landbeach, Linton, Litlington, Little Abington, Little Chishill, Little Eversden, Little Gransden, Little Shelford, Little Wilbraham, Lolworth, Longstanton, Longstowe
- Madingley, Melbourn, Meldreth, Milton
- Newton
- Oakington, Orwell, Over
- Pampisford, Papworth St Agnes, Papworth Everard
- Quy
- Rampton
- Sawston, Shepreth, Shingay, Shudy Camps, Stapleford, Steeple Morden, Stow, Streetley End, Swavesey
- Tadlow, Teversham, Thriplow, Toft
- Waterbeach, Wendy, Weston Colville, Weston Green, Westwick, West Wickham, West Wratting, Whaddon, Whittlesford, Whittlesford Bridge, Willingham, Wimpole
Wards in Cambridge City
- Abbey, Arbury
- Castle, Cherry Hinton, Coleridge
- East Chesterton
- King's Hedges
- Market
- Newnham
- Petersfield
- Queen Edith's
- Romsey
- Trumpington
- West Chesterton
Places of interest
- Anglesey Abbey, Denny Abbey, Ramsey Abbey
- Duxford Airfield and Duxford Chapel
- Kimbolton Castle
- Buckden towers
- Wimpole Hall
- Elton Hall
- Hinchinbrooke House
- Peckover House, Wisbech
- Lode Watermill
- Down Field Windmill, Soham
- Great Gransden Post Mill
- Houghton Mill
- Prickwillow Drainage Engine Museum
- River Great Ouse, River Cam
- The Ouse Washes consisting of the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River (also known as the Hundred Foot Drain)
- RSPB Ouse Washes, a reserve of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve
- WWT Welney - a Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve on the Ouse Washes
- RSPB Nene Washes
- Grafham Water Nature Reserve
- Paxton Pits Nature Reserve
- Brampton Wood SSSI
- Fowlmere Nature Reserve
- Castor Hanglands Nature Reserve
- Lattersey Nature Reserve
- Long distance footpaths: Hereward Way, Icknield Way, Nene Way, Ouse Valley way, Three Shires Bridleway
- Nene Valley Railway, a heritage railway
Local Government
Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire are served by Cambridgeshire County Council (http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/). In 1974 the county was divided into administrative districts governed by their own District Councils:
Cambridge City, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, Peterborough City, and South Cambridgeshire
In 1998 Peterborough City Council was restored to a unitary authority (having been an independent Soke of Peterborough attached to Northamptonshire before being merged with Huntingdonshire to make Peterborough and Huntingdonshire, then Cambridgeshire), allowing it to become independent of the County Council. However, some county-wide organisations such as the police and fire services remain.
Cambridgeshire is twinned with Kreis Viersen in Germany.