Оң Шропшир ауданы: Тарих және географиясы

Former local government district in England

South Shropshire was a local government district in Shropshire, England, from 1974 to 2009. Its council was based in the town of Ludlow; the other towns in the district were Church Stretton, Cleobury Mortimer, Clun, Bishop's Castle and Craven Arms. South Shropshire was the most rural district of one of the UK's most rural counties, the population of the district was 40,410 in 2001 spread out over 1,027 km2 of forest, mountains, moorlands, hills and mixed quality farmland. It bordered the unitary authority of Powys in Wales, which it closely resembled, economically, socially, culturally and historically. 65% of the district's area is part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The district was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the rural districts of Clun and Bishop's Castle and Ludlow. The district and its council were abolished on 1 April 2009 when the new Shropshire unitary authority was established, as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England.

The District of South Shropshire covered an area of 1,028 square kilometres, or 397 square miles (1,028 km2), which was roughly one third of the administrative county of Shropshire as of 2008. South Shropshire included mountains, valleys, hills, moors, forests and low grade farmland. The landscape is often rugged, with crags and rock outcrops very common, especially in the west and around the Clee Hills, and was for the most part gouged by glaciers during the ice age. The area's many rock types made it particularly interesting to geologists, with Wenlock Edge being especially noteworthy. See the Shropshire Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) for more about the natural geography of the area.

Economically the district was largely dependent on tourism, partly due to the decline in the economic significance of farming and also the decline and subsequent end of local lead and coal mining industry. In addition to tourism, some light industry did exist in the district, in the Church Stretton and Ludlow areas, and in Burford, near Tenbury Wells. Additionally, the local demographics show a large economic gap between affluent residents and poorer communities. Many of the affluent residents have moved into the area from other places, such as South East England on their retirement. This continues an older trend whose root was initially in the imbalance of wealth associated with the farming economy previously prevalent in the area.

In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas showed that housing in South Shropshire produced the 13th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,156 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.