View source for Cumbria

{{Short description|Ceremonial county of England}}
{{Distinguish|Cumbia|Umbria|Cambria|Cambrian|Cumberland}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{infobox English county
| official_name           = Cumbria
| image_main              = 
 {{multiple images |border=infobox |perrow=1 2 |total_width=270px
 | image1 = Derwent Water, Lake District, Cumbria - June 2009.jpg
 | image2 = The Citadel, Court Square, Carlisle, Cumbria 02.jpg
 | image3 = St Bees south head (Tomlin).JPG
 }}
| image_caption           = [[Derwentwater]] in the [[Lake District]], a tower of [[Carlisle Citadel]] and [[St Bees Head]]
| locator_map             = Cumbria UK locator map 2010.svg
| map_caption             = Location of Cumbria within England
| coordinates             = {{Coord|54|30|N|3|15|W|type:adm2nd_region:GB-CMA|display=title,inline}}
| region                  = [[North West England]]
| established_date        = 1 April 1974
| established_by          = [[Local Government Act 1972]]
| MPs                     = [[List of parliamentary constituencies in Cumbria|6 MPs]]
| police                  = [[Cumbria Constabulary]]
| largest_city            = [[Carlisle]]
<!-- Ceremonial county -->
| lord_lieutenant_office  = Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria
| lord_lieutenant_name    = Alexander Scott<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/news/2023/new-lord-lieutenant-cumbria-appointed |title=New Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria appointed |date=5 July 2023 |website=[[Cumberland Council]] |access-date=7 January 2024 |archive-date=7 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107212739/https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/news/2023/new-lord-lieutenant-cumbria-appointed |url-status=live }}</ref>
| high_sheriff_office     = High Sheriff of Cumbria
| high_sheriff_name       = Samantha Scott<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=62943 |page=5161 |date=13 March 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = {{English cerem counties|ARE=Cumbria}}
| area_total_rank         = {{English cerem counties|ARK=Cumbria}}
| ethnicity               =
 {{Unbulleted list
 | 97.6% [[White people in the United Kingdom|White]]
 | 1.0% [[British Asians|Asian]]
 | 0.8% [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|mixed]]
 | 0.2% [[Black British people|Black]]
 | 0.3% [[Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom|other]]
 }}
| ethnicity_year          = [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]]
| ethnicity_footnotes     = <ref name="2021 Nomis">{{NOMIS2021|id=E10000006|title=Cumbria County|access-date=23 October 2023}}</ref>
| iso_code                = GB-CMA
<!-- Maps -->
| districts_map           = [[File:Cumbria numbered districts 2023.svg|200px]]
| districts_key           = {{Colorsample|#FEFE77}} Unitary
| districts_list          = 
 {{Ordered list
 | title                  = 
 | 1                      = [[Cumberland (unitary authority)|Cumberland]]
 | 2                      = [[Westmorland and Furness]]
 }}
}}
'''Cumbria''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ʌ|m|b|r|i|ə}} {{respell|KUM|bree|ə}}) is a [[ceremonial county]] in [[North West England]]. It borders the Scottish council areas of [[Dumfries and Galloway]] and [[Scottish Borders]] to the north, [[Northumberland]] and [[County Durham]] to the east, [[North Yorkshire]] to the south-east, [[Lancashire]] to the south, and the [[Irish Sea]] to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of [[Carlisle]].

Cumbria is predominantly rural, with an area of {{Convert|6769|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and a population of {{English cerem counties|POP=Cumbria}}; this makes it the third-largest ceremonial county in England by area but the eighth-smallest by population. Carlisle is located in the north; the towns of [[Workington]] and [[Whitehaven]] lie on the west coast, [[Barrow-in-Furness]] on the south coast, and [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]] and [[Kendal]] in the east of the county. For local government purposes the county comprises two [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] areas, [[Westmorland and Furness]] and [[Cumberland (unitary authority)|Cumberland]].<ref>{{cite web |date=5 November 2021 |title=Names for two controversial Cumbria councils revealed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-59183200 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124161611/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-59183200 |archive-date=24 November 2021 |access-date=24 November 2021 |website=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Cumbria was created in 1974 from the historic counties of [[Cumberland]] and [[Westmorland]], the [[Furness]] area of Lancashire, and a small part of [[Yorkshire]].

The interior of Cumbria contains several upland areas. Together they fringe the [[Vale of Eden]], the wide valley of the [[River Eden, Cumbria|River Eden]], which runs south-east to north-west across the county and broadens into the [[Solway Plain]] near Carlisle.<ref name="Wastwater and the Lake District West Coast - explore and visit">{{Cite web |date=17 May 2013 |title=Wastwater and the Lake District West Coast – explore and visit |url=https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/places-to-go/explore-wastwater-eskdale-and-west-coast |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922173333/https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/places-to-go/explore-wastwater-eskdale-and-west-coast |archive-date=22 September 2019 |access-date=19 August 2019 |website=Lake District National Park}}</ref><ref name="Lake District National Park - Explore Windermere">{{cite web |title=Lake District National Park – Explore Windermere |url=https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/places-to-go/explore-windermere-and-ambleside |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403091931/http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/placestogo/explorewindermere |archive-date=3 April 2016 |access-date=3 April 2016 |publisher=Lakedistrict.gov.uk}}</ref> To the north-east are part of the [[Border Moors and Forests|Border Moors]], and to the east part of the [[North Pennines]]; the latter have been designated a [[National Landscape|national landscape]]. South of the vale are the [[Orton Fells]], [[Howgill Fells]], and part of the [[Yorkshire Dales]], which are all within the [[Yorkshire Dales National Park|Yorkshire Dales national park]].<ref name="An introduction to the Yorkshire Dales in the County of Cumbria">{{cite web |title=An introduction to the Yorkshire Dales in the County of Cumbria |url=https://www.visitcumbria.com/yd/yorkshire-dales-national-park/ |access-date=1 April 2024 |website=Visit Cumbria}}</ref> The south-west contains the [[Lake District]], a large upland area which has been designated a [[National parks of the United Kingdom|national park]] and [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]. It includes England's highest mountain, [[Scafell Pike]];<ref name="Cumbrian Mountains: ''Philips' Elementary Atlas and Geography''">Cumbrian Mountains: ''Philips' Elementary Atlas and Geography'', edited by [[John Francon Williams]] published by [[George Philip & Son Ltd.]], 1882: (2) The Cumbrian Mountains are a group in the counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and northern Lancashire, near the coast of the Irish Sea. They contain the highest elevation in England – Scaw Fell ([[Scafell Pike]]), 3,208 feet above the level of the sea (retrieved 2018)</ref> its longest and largest lake, [[Windermere]]; and its deepest lake, [[Wast Water]]. The county has long coast to the west which is bordered by a plain for most of its length. The north-west coast is part of the [[Solway Firth]], a national landscape, and the south coast includes the [[Cartmel Peninsula|Cartmel]] and [[Furness]] peninsulas. East of the peninsulas, the county contains part of [[Arnside and Silverdale]], another national landscape

The county contains several [[Neolithic]] monuments, such as [[Mayburgh Henge]]. The region was on the border of [[Roman Britain]], and [[Hadrian's Wall]] runs through the north of the county. In the Early Middle Ages parts of the region successively belonged to [[Rheged]], [[Northumbria]], and [[Kingdom of Strathclyde|Strathclyde]], and there was also a [[Viking]] presence. It became the border between England and Scotland, and was unsettled until the Union of the Crowns in 1603. During the [[Industrial Revolution]] mining took place on the [[Cumberland Coalfield|Cumberland coalfield]] and Barrow-in-Furness became a shipbuilding centre, but the county was not heavily industrialised and the Lake District became valued for its [[Sublime (philosophy)|sublime]] and [[picturesque]] qualities, notably by the [[Lake Poets]].

==Toponymy==
{{Main|Cumbrian toponymy}}
The place names ''Cumbria'' and ''Cumberland'' both mean ''"land of the Cumbrians"'' and are names derived from the term that had been used by the inhabitants of the area to describe themselves. In the period {{Circa|400|1100}}, it is likely that any group of people living in Britain who identified as 'Britons' called themselves by a name similar to 'Cum-ri' which means "fellow countrymen" (and has also survived in the Welsh name for Wales which is ''Cymru'').<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tim|date=30 July 2011|title=Terminology topics 5: Cumbria|url=https://senchus.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/terminology-topics-5-cumbria/|access-date=5 January 2022|website=Senchus|language=en}}</ref> The first datable record of the place name as ''Cumberland'' is from an entry in the [[Anglo Saxon Chronicle]] for the year AD 945.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cumberland :: Survey of English Place-Names|url=https://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/Cumberland|access-date=5 January 2022|website=epns.nottingham.ac.uk}}</ref> This record refers to a kingdom known to the Anglo-Saxons as ''Cumbraland'' and in Latin as ''Cumbria'', often also known as [[Kingdom of Strathclyde|Strathclyde]],<ref name="Koch">{{cite book |last1=Koch |first1=John T |title=The Celts: History, Life, and Culture |date=2012 |publisher=Bloomsbury |pages=808–809}}</ref> which in the 10th century may have stretched from Loch Lomond to Leeds.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Molyneaux |first=George |title=The Formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-871791-1 |edition=First |location=Oxford, United Kingdom |oclc=898531165}}</ref> The first king to be unequivocally described as king of the Cumbrians is [[Owain ap Dyfnwal (fl. 934)|Owain ap Dyfnwal]], who ruled from {{circa|915|937}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Phythian-Adams|first=Charles|title=Land of the Cumbrians : a study in British provincial origins, A.D. 400–1120|date=1996|publisher=Scolar Press|isbn=1-85928-327-6|location=Aldershot, England|oclc=35012254}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Cumbria}}
[[File:Castlerigg2.JPG|thumb|The [[Castlerigg stone circle]] dates from the late [[Neolithic age]] and was constructed by some of the earliest inhabitants of Cumbria]]

During the [[Neolithic]] period what is now Cumbria area contained an important centre of stone axe production (the so-called [[Langdale axe industry|Langdale axe factory]]), products of which have been found across Great Britain.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-wYOAAAAQAAJ&q=Langdale+axe+industry&pg=PA60|title=Neolithic Britain: New Stone Age Sites of England, Scotland, and Wales|last=Castleden|first=Rodney|date=1992|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9780415058452|access-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820172803/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-wYOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA60&dq=Langdale+axe+industry&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Langdale%20axe%20industry&f=false|archive-date=20 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> During this period, [[stone circle]]s and [[henge]]s were built across the county, and today, Cumbria has one of the largest number of preserved field monuments in England'.<ref>Barrowclough (2010), p. 105.</ref>

While not part of the region conquered in the [[Roman conquest of Britain|Romans' initial conquest of Britain]] in AD 43, most of modern-day Cumbria was later conquered in response to a revolt deposing the Roman-aligned ruler of the [[Brigantes]] in AD 69.<ref>Shotter (2014), p.5</ref> The Romans built a number of fortifications in the area during their occupation, the most famous being [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] [[Hadrian's Wall]] which passes through northern Cumbria.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/430|title=Frontiers of the Roman Empire|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|website=whc.unesco.org|access-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820203449/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/430|archive-date=20 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the end of the period of British history known as [[Roman Britain]] ({{circa|AD 410}}) the inhabitants of Cumbria were [[Cumbric]]-speaking native [[Celtic Britons]] who were probably descendants of the [[Brigantes]] and [[Carvetii]] (sometimes considered to be a sub-tribe of the Brigantes) that the [[Roman Empire]] had conquered in about AD 85.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}} Based on inscriptional evidence from the area, the Roman ''{{lang|la|[[civitas]]}}'' of the Carvetii seems to have covered portions of Cumbria. The names ''Cumbria'', ''{{lang|cy|Cymru}}'' (the native [[Welsh language|Welsh]] name for [[Wales]]), ''Cambria'', and ''Cumberland'' are derived from the name these people gave themselves, *''kombroges'' in [[Common Brittonic]], which originally meant "compatriots".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=cymru&searchmode=none |title=Cymric |work=Online Etymological Dictionary |access-date=25 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427060757/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=cymru&searchmode=none |archive-date=27 April 2010 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref name=Davies>{{cite book |last=Davies |first=John |title=A History of Wales |publisher=Penguin Books |orig-year=1990 |year=2007 |pages=68–69}}</ref>

Although Cumbria was previously believed to have formed the core of the [[Early Middle Ages]] [[Celtic Britons|Brittonic]] kingdom of [[Rheged]], more recent discoveries near [[Galloway]] appear to contradict this.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The lost Dark Age kingdom of Rheged : the discovery of a royal stronghold at Trusty's Hill, Galloway|last=Ronan|first=Toolis|others=Bowles, Christopher R.|isbn=9781785703126|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxbow Books|oclc=967457029|date = 31 January 2017}}</ref> For the rest of the first millennium, Cumbria was contested by several entities who warred over the area, including the Brythonic Celtic [[Kingdom of Strathclyde]] and the [[Angles (tribe)|Anglian]] [[Northumbria|Kingdom of Northumbria]]. Most of modern-day Cumbria was a principality in the Kingdom of [[Scotland]] at the time of the [[Norman conquest of England]] in 1066 and thus was excluded from the [[Domesday Book]] survey of 1086. In 1092 the region was invaded by [[William II of England|William II]] and incorporated into England.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Norman rule in Cumbria, 1092–1136|last=Sharpe|first=Richard|date=2006|publisher=Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society|isbn=978-1873124437|oclc=122952827}}</ref> In 1133 the diocese of Carlisle was founded, cementing Cumbria's position within the English church.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Holtby |first1=R.T. |title=Carlisle Cathedral |date=1982 |publisher=Pitkin Pictorials |location=London |sbn=85372 345 1 |page=5}}</ref> Cumbria left Scottish hands for the last time in 1157. Nevertheless, the region was dominated by the many [[Anglo-Scottish Wars]] of the latter [[Middle Ages]] and [[early modern period]] and the associated [[Border Reivers]] who exploited the dynamic political situation of the region.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tuck|first=J.A.|date=January 1986|title=The Emergence of a Northern Nobility, 1250–1400|journal=Northern History|volume=22|issue=1|pages=1–17|doi=10.1179/007817286790616516|issn=0078-172X}}</ref> There were at least three [[siege of Carlisle (disambiguation)|sieges of Carlisle]]<!--intentional dab--> fought between England and Scotland, and two further sieges during the [[Jacobite risings]].

After the Jacobite Risings of the 18th century, Cumbria became a more stable place and, as in the rest of [[Northern England]], the [[Industrial Revolution]] caused a large growth in urban populations. In particular, the west coast towns of [[Workington]], [[Millom]] and [[Barrow-in-Furness]] saw large iron and [[steel mill]]s develop, with Barrow also developing a significant [[shipbuilding]] industry.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Barrow-in-Furness at Work : People and Industries Through the Years |publisher=Amberley Publishing |last=Gill|first=Jepson|isbn=9781445670041|location=Stroud|oclc=1019605931|date = 15 November 2017}}</ref> [[Kendal]], [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]] and Carlisle all became [[mill town]]s, with textiles, pencils and biscuits among the products manufactured in the region. The early 19th century saw the county gain fame when the [[Lake Poets]] and other artists of the [[Romantic movement]], such as [[William Wordsworth]] and [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]], lived among, and were inspired by, the lakes and mountains of the region. Later, the children's writer [[Beatrix Potter]] also wrote in the region and became a major landowner, granting much of her property to the [[National Trust]] on her death.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Story of Beatrix Potter |publisher=Pavilion Books  |last=Sarah|first=Gristwood|isbn=9781909881808|location=London|oclc=951610299|date = 9 June 2016}}</ref> In turn, the large amount of land owned by the National Trust assisted in the formation in 1951 of the [[Lake District National Park]],{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} which remains the largest National Park in England and has come to dominate the identity and economy of the county.

[[File:Historic counties within Cumbria.svg|165px|thumb|The historic counties shown within Cumbria
{{legend-line|black solid 2px|Boundary of Cumbria}}
{{Legend|#ffddce|Historic [[Cumberland]]|outline=silver}}
{{Legend|#e4c9f9|Historic [[Westmorland]]|outline=silver}}
{{Legend|#fcff98|Historic [[Lancashire]]|outline=silver}}
{{Legend|#dbfaee|[[West Riding of Yorkshire]]|outline=silver}}]]
The [[Windscale fire]] of 10 October 1957 was the worst [[nuclear accident]] in Great Britain's history.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12789749 |title=Fukushima – disaster or distraction? |author=Richard Black |date=18 March 2011 |publisher=BBC |access-date=23 August 2019 |archive-date=11 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411003052/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12789749 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Cumbria was created in [[Local Government Act 1972|1974]] from the [[administrative counties]] of [[Cumberland]] and [[Westmorland]]; the county boroughs of [[County Borough of Carlisle|Carlisle]] and Barrow-in-Furness; the districts of [[North Lonsdale]], Grange, Ulverston, and Dalton-in-Furness from  [[Lancashire]]; and the [[Sedbergh Rural District]] from the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]].<ref name="lga1972">{{Cite web |title=Local Government Act 1972 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/70/schedule/1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701222339/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/70/schedule/1 |archive-date=1 July 2018 |access-date=16 August 2018 |website=www.legislation.gov.uk}}</ref> [[Cumbria County Council]] and the seven district councils were abolished in 2023 and replaced by two new unitary authorities, [[Cumberland (district)|Cumberland]] Council and [[Westmorland and Furness]] Council.<ref name=":0" />

On 2 June 2010, taxi driver Derrick Bird killed 12 people and injured 11 others in [[Cumbria shootings|a shooting spree]] that spanned over {{convert|24|km|mi}} along the Cumbrian coastline.<ref name=times>{{Cite news| url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7142413.ece| title = Police identify man wanted over drive-by shootings in Cumbria| work = The Times| access-date = 2 June 2010| date = 2 June 2010| first = Adam| last = Fresco| location = London| archive-date = 14 December 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211214040200/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/| url-status = dead}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Cumbria SRTM.png|thumb|left|Topographic map of Cumbria]]
Cumbria is the most northwesterly ceremonial county of England and is mostly mountainous, with large upland areas to the south-west and east. The south-west contains the [[Lake District]], a [[National parks of the United Kingdom|national park]] and [[UNESCO world heritage site]] which includes [[Scafell Pike]], England's highest mountain at {{convert|978|m|ft|0}},<ref name="Cumbrian Mountains: ''Philips' Elementary Atlas and Geography''"/> and [[Windermere]], its longest and largest lake. The [[Border Moors and Forests|Border Moors]] and [[North Pennines]] lie along the county's eastern border. The south-east contains the [[Orton Fells]], [[Howgill Fells]] and part of the [[Yorkshire Dales]], which are all within the [[Yorkshire Dales National Park|Yorkshire Dales national park]].<ref name="An introduction to the Yorkshire Dales in the County of Cumbria"/>

The [[Vale of Eden]], the valley of the [[River Eden, Cumbria|River Eden]], runs south-east to north-west between these upland areas, and broadens into the [[Solway Plain]] near Carlisle.<ref name="Wastwater and the Lake District West Coast - explore and visit"/><ref name="Lake District National Park - Explore Windermere"/> The county has long coast to the west, which is bordered by a plain for most of its length. In the north-west it borders the [[Solway Firth]], a [[National Landscape|national landscape]], and to the south are the [[Cartmel Peninsula|Cartmel]] and [[Furness]] peninsulas. East of the peninsulas, the county contains part of [[Arnside and Silverdale]], also a national landscape. The [[Lancaster Canal]] runs from Preston into southern Cumbria and is partly in use. The [[Ulverston Canal]] which once reached to [[Morecambe Bay]] is maintained although it was closed in 1945.

The county contains a number of [[List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cumbria|Sites of Special Scientific Interest]], several of which are grouped into the [[Lake District High Fells]], which is a designated [[Special Area of Conservation]].

===Boundaries and divisions===
The northernmost and southernmost points in Cumbria are just west of [[Deadwater, Northumberland]] and [[Walney Island|South Walney]] respectively. [[Kirkby Stephen]] (close to [[Tan Hill, North Yorkshire]]) and [[St Bees Head]] are the most easterly and westerly points of the county. The boundaries are along the [[Irish Sea]] to [[Morecambe Bay]] in the west, and along the [[Pennines]] to the east. Cumbria's northern boundary stretches from the [[Solway Firth]] from the [[Solway Plain]] eastward along the border with [[Scotland]].

Cumbria is bordered by [[Northumberland]], [[County Durham]], [[North Yorkshire]], [[Lancashire]] in England, and [[Dumfriesshire|Dumfries]] and [[Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale]] in Scotland.
[[File:High Cup Nick.jpg|center|thumb|413x413px|[[High Cup Nick]], in the [[North Pennines]]]]

==Economy==
[[File:DDH, Barrow-in-Furness.jpg|thumb|right|[[BAE Systems Submarine Solutions]] in Barrow-in-Furness has a workforce of around 14,500 people]]
Many large companies and organisations are based in Cumbria. The county council itself employs around 17,000 individuals, while the largest private employer in Cumbria, [[BAE Systems]] in Barrow employs around 14,500<ref>[https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/25384948.barrow-90k-job-offer-lead-towns-economic-transformation/ BAE Workforce 2025]</ref> with further job growth associated with new contracts expected, the [[Sellafield]] nuclear processing site, has a workforce of 10,000.<ref name=Largestemployers1>{{cite web|url=http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/cumbrian-employers-supporting-staff-after-multiple-shooting/|title=Cumbrian employers supporting staff after multiple shooting|publisher=Personneltoday|access-date=15 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224100104/http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/cumbrian-employers-supporting-staff-after-multiple-shooting/|archive-date=24 December 2013|url-status=live|date=3 June 2010}}</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:Whinlatter Forest Park Sign.jpg|thumb|right|The entrance to Whinlatter Forest Park]]
[[File:Way in - geograph.org.uk - 406894.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sizergh Castle]]]]
[[File:Muncaster Castle morris edited.jpg|thumb|right|[[Muncaster Castle]]]]
The largest and most widespread industry is tourism, with the county attracting over 47 million visitors annually.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Cumbria Tourism | url=https://www.cumbriatourism.org | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> The [[Lake District|Lake District National Park]] alone receives some 15.8&nbsp;million visitors every year.<ref name=LakeDistrictstats>{{cite web |url=http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/learning/lakedistrictfacts/factsandfigures |title=Lake District National Park |publisher=Lake District National Park |access-date=16 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019005727/http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/learning/lakedistrictfacts/factsandfigures |archive-date=19 October 2013 }}</ref> Despite this, fewer than 50,000 people reside permanently within the Lake District: mostly in [[Ambleside]], [[Bowness-on-Windermere]], [[Coniston, Cumbria|Coniston]], [[Gosforth, Cumbria|Gosforth]], [[Grasmere (village)|Grasmere]], [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]], and [[Windermere, Cumbria (town)|Windermere]].<ref name=LakeDistrictstats/> Over 36,000 Cumbrians are employed in the tourism industry, which adds £1.1&nbsp;billion a year to the county's economy. The Lake District and the county as a whole attract visitors from across the UK,<ref name=LakeDistrictstats/> Europe, North America and the Far East (particularly Japan).<ref name=LakeDistrictstats/> The tables below show the twenty most-visited attractions in Cumbria in 2009.{{Needs update|date=May 2025}} (Not all visitor attractions provided data to Cumbria Tourism who collated the list. Those who did not included [[Furness Abbey]], the [[Lakes Aquarium]] and [[South Lakes Safari Zoo]], the last of which would almost certainly rank within the top five.)<ref name=LakeDistrictstats2>{{cite web |url=http://www.cumbriatourism.org/research/attractions.aspx |title=Lake District National Park |publisher=Cumbria Tourism |access-date=16 July 2010 |archive-date=2 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802074727/http://www.cumbriatourism.org/research/attractions.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{table alignment}}
{|
|valign="top"|

{| class="wikitable col4right"
! Rank !! Attraction !! Location !! Visitors
|-
| 1 || [[Windermere#Steamers, launches and ferries|Windermere Lake Cruises]] || Bowness-on-Windermere || 1,313,807
|-
| 2 || Rheged || Penrith || 439,568
|-
| 3 || [[Glenridding#Ullswater Steamers|Ullswater Steamers]] || Glenridding || 348,000
|-
| 4 || [[Whinlatter Pass|Whinlatter Forest Park and Visitor Centre]] || Whinlatter || 252,762
|-
| 5 || [[Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery]] || Carlisle || 251,808
|-
| 6 || [[Grizedale Forest|Grizedale Forest Park and Visitor Centre]] || Grizedale || 175,033
|-
| 7 || [[Carlisle Cathedral]] || Carlisle || 166,141
|-
| 8 || [[Brockhole Lake District Visitor Centre]] || Windermere || 135,539
|-
| 9 || [[Hill Top, Cumbria|Hill Top]] || Hawkshead || 103,682
|-
| 10 || [[Sizergh Castle]] || Sizergh Castle || 90,063
|}
| style="vertical-align:top; border-left:1px #ddd;"|

{| class="wikitable"
! Rank !! Attraction !! Location !! Visitors
|-
| 11 || [[Cumberland Pencil Museum]] || Keswick || 80,100
|-
| 12 || [[Muncaster Castle]] || Ravenglass || 78,474
|-
| 13 || [[Dock Museum]] || Barrow-in-Furness || 73,239
|-
| 14 || The Beacon || Whitehaven || 71,602
|-
| 15 || [[Holker Hall]] || Cartmel || 58,060
|-
| 16 || [[Carlisle Castle]] || Carlisle || 56,957
|-
| 17 || [[Beatrix Potter Gallery]] || Hawkshead || 47,244
|-
| 18 || Lake District Wildlife Park<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lakedistrictwildlifepark.co.uk/about-us/|title=About Us – Lake District Wildlife Park|access-date=14 March 2017|archive-date=15 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315091101/http://www.lakedistrictwildlifepark.co.uk/about-us/|url-status=live}}</ref> || Bassenthwaite || 45,559
|-
| 19 || [[The Homes of Football]] || Ambleside || 49,661
|-
| 20 || [[Cartmel Priory]] || Cartmel || 43,672
|}
|}

===Economic output===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
|+ GVA and GDP by local authority district in 2022<ref name="ONS GVA and GDP">{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/datasets/regionalgrossdomesticproductlocalauthorities |title=Regional gross domestic product: local authorities |date=24 April 2024 |website=Office for National Statistics |access-date=22 May 2024}}</ref>
|- style="text-align:left;"
! District
! GVA<br>(£ billions)
! GVA<br>per capita (£)
! GDP<br>(£ billions)
! GDP<br>per capita (£)
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Cumberland
| 6.5
| 23,737
| 7.5
| 27,305
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Westmorland and Furness
| 6.7
| 29,546
| 7.6
| 33,242
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | Cumbria
! style="text-align:right;" | 13.3
! style="text-align:right;" | 26,366
! style="text-align:right;" | 15.1
! style="text-align:right;" | 29,992
|}

==Governance==
===Local===
{{Main|Cumberland Council|Westmorland and Furness Council}}
{{Multiple image
| image1            = 
| caption1          = The logo of Cumberland Council
| image2            = 
| caption2          = The logo of Westmorland and Furness Council
| direction         = vertical
}}
Cumbria is governed by two unitary authorities, Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council. The [[Cumberland unitary authority area]] covers the north and west of Cumbria, and [[Westmorland and Furness]] the south and east; they are named after the historic counties of [[Cumberland]] and [[Westmorland]], but have different boundaries.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=1 April 2023 |title=Two new unitary authorities to make running Cumbria 'simpler' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-65128512 |access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref> Cumberland has had a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] majority administration since the [[2022 Cumberland Council election]], and Westmorland and Furness has had a [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] majority administration since the [[2022 Westmorland and Furness Council election]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cumberland Council election – 5 May 2022 |url=https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/election/cumberland-council-election-5-may-2022 |access-date=14 December 2023 |website=Cumberland Council}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Westmorland & Furness result – Local Elections 2022 |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2022/england/councils/E07000248 |access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref> Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council collaborate through a [https://cumberland.moderngov.co.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=435 Joint Executive Committee] and the [https://enterprisingcumbria.org.uk/enterprising-cumbria Enterprising Cumbria] Economic Growth Body. In September 2024, the two councils submitted an expression of interest to form a [[combined authority]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/news/2024/councils-submit-devolution-response-government | title=Councils submit devolution response to Government &#124; Westmorland and Furness Council }}</ref> Plans for a mayoral combined authority were agreed by the UK government in February 2025, with the first mayor expected to be elected in May 2026.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/24915682.barrow-mp-outlines-hopes-a590-devolution-announcement/ |title= Barrow MP outlines hopes for A590 in devolution announcement |date= 7 February 2025 |access-date=7 February 2025|publisher=[[The Mail (Cumbria)]]}}</ref>

Between 1974 and 2023 Cumbria was administered by [[Cumbria County Council]] and six [[Non-metropolitan district|district council]]s: [[Allerdale]], [[Borough of Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow-in-Furness]], [[City of Carlisle|Carlisle]], [[Borough of Copeland|Copeland]], [[Eden District|Eden]], and [[South Lakeland]]. These were abolished on 1 April 2023, when the two unitary authorities were established.<ref>{{cite web |title=Next steps for new unitary councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-new-unitary-councils-in-cumbria-north-yorkshire-and-somerset |website=GOV.UK |access-date=1 January 2022|language=en}}</ref>

The [[Duchy of Lancaster]], the private estate of the sovereign, exercises some rights of [[the Crown]] in the County Palatine of Lancaster, which includes the Furness area of Cumbria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Duchy of Lancaster – Jurisdiction |url=https://www.farrer.co.uk/globalassets/clients-and-sectors/bona-vacantia/duchy-of-lancaster-jurisdiction.pdf |access-date=14 December 2023 |website=Farrer & Co }}</ref>

===National===
{{Main|List of Parliamentary constituencies in Cumbria}}Until the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], there were six parliamentary constituencies in Cumbria: [[Barrow and Furness]], [[Carlisle (UK Parliament constituency)|Carlisle]], [[Copeland (UK Parliament constituency)|Copeland]], [[Penrith and the Border]], [[Westmorland and Lonsdale]], and [[Workington (UK Parliament constituency)|Workington]]. Five were won by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election]], with Westmorland and Lonsdale won by the Liberal Democrats. The [[2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies]] abolished Copeland, Workington, and Penrith and the Border, replacing them with the new constituencies of [[Penrith and Solway]] and [[Whitehaven and Workington]]. The three remaining constituencies underwent significant boundary changes, including some electoral wards being transferred from Westmorland and Lonsdale to [[Morecambe and Lunesdale]], making the latter a cross-county constituency (it had previously been exclusively in [[Lancashire]]).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Constituency
! 1983
! 1987
! 1992
! 1997
! 2001
! 2005
! 2010
! 2015
! 2017
! 2019
! 2024
|-
| [[Barrow and Furness]]
| colspan=2 | {{color box|blue|CON}} [[Cecil Franks]]
| colspan=4 | {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness|John Hutton]]
| colspan=3| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[John Woodcock, Baron Walney|John Woodcock]]
| colspan=1| {{color box|blue|CON}} [[Simon Fell (politician)|Simon Fell]]
| colspan=1| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} '''[[Michelle Scrogham]]'''
|-
| [[Carlisle (UK Parliament constituency)|Carlisle]]
|| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[Ronald Lewis (British politician)|Ronald Lewis]]
| colspan=5 | {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[Eric Martlew]]
| colspan=4| {{color box|blue|CON}} [[John Stevenson (British politician)|John Stevenson]]
| colspan=1| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} '''[[Julie Minns]]'''
|-
| [[Copeland (UK Parliament constituency)|Copeland]]
| colspan=5 | {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[Jack Cunningham]]
| colspan=3 | {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[Jamie Reed]]
| colspan=2| {{color box|blue|CON}} [[Trudy Harrison]]
| colspan=1| Constituency abolished. See: ''[[Penrith and Solway]]'' and ''[[Whitehaven and Workington]]''.
|- 
| [[Morecambe and Lunesdale]]
| colspan=10 | ''[[List of parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire|Lancashire constituency]]''
| colspan=1| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} '''[[Lizzi Collinge]]'''
|-
| [[Penrith and the Border]]
| colspan=6 | {{color box|blue|CON}} [[David Maclean]]
| colspan=3| {{color box|blue|CON}} [[Rory Stewart]]
| colspan=1| {{color box|blue|CON}} [[Neil Hudson (politician)|Neil Hudson]]
| colspan=1| Constituency abolished. See: ''[[Penrith and Solway]]'' and ''[[Whitehaven and Workington]]''.
|-
| [[Penrith and Solway]]
| colspan=10 | –
| colspan=1| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} '''[[Markus Campbell-Savours]]'''
|-
| [[Westmorland and Lonsdale]]
| colspan=3 | {{color box|blue|CON}} [[Michael Jopling]]
| colspan=2 | {{color box|blue|CON}} [[Tim Collins (politician)|Tim Collins]]
| colspan=6 | {{color box|orange|LD}} '''[[Tim Farron]]'''
|-
| [[Whitehaven and Workington]]
| colspan=10 | –
| colspan=1| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} '''[[Josh MacAlister]]'''
|-
| [[Workington (UK Parliament constituency)|Workington]]
| colspan=4 | {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[Dale Campbell-Savours]]
| colspan=3 | {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[Tony Cunningham (politician)|Tony Cunningham]]
| colspan=2 | {{color box|red|LAB|white}} [[Sue Hayman]]
| colspan1 | {{color box|blue|CON}} [[Mark Jenkinson]]
| colspan=1| Constituency abolished. See: ''[[Penrith and Solway]]'' and ''[[Whitehaven and Workington]]''.
|}
{{table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable col2right col3right"
|+2019 General Election results in Cumbria
!Party
!Votes
!%
!Change from<br>2017
!Seats
!Change from<br>2017
|-
|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|143,615
|52.4%
|{{increase}}3.6%
|5
|{{increase}}2
|-
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|79,402
|28.9%
|{{decrease}}7.3%
|0
|{{decrease}}2
|-
|[[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]
|39,426
|14.4%
|{{increase}}2.6%
|1
|0
|-
|[[Green Party of England and Wales|Greens]]
|4,223
|1.5%
|{{increase}}0.8%
|0
|0
|-
|[[Brexit Party|Brexit]]
|3,867
|1.4%
|new
|0
|0 
|-
|Others
|3,044
|1.1%
|{{increase}}0.7%
|0
|0
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''274,313'''
|'''100%'''
|
|   '''6'''
|
|}

=== Politics ===
Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are strongest in rural areas, and Labour is strongest in the industrial towns.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 June 2024 |title=Cumbria constituencies could prove a crucial battleground |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51171z405ro |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Education==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2021}}
[[File:Skiddaw Building, University of Cumbria - geograph.org.uk - 715574.jpg|thumb|right|The University of Cumbria's Fusehill Campus in Carlisle]] 
{{See also|List of schools in Cumberland|List of schools in Westmorland and Furness}}

Although [[Education in England|secondary schooling]] in Cumbria has a [[Comprehensive school (England and Wales)|comprehensive]] system almost fully, there is one state [[grammar school]] in Penrith. There are 42 state secondary schools and 10 independent schools. The more rural secondary schools tend to have [[sixth form]]s (although in Barrow-in-Furness district, no schools have sixth forms due to the only sixth form college in Cumbria being located in the town) and this is the same for three schools in Allerdale and South Lakeland, and one in the other districts. Chetwynde is also the only school in Barrow to educate children from nursery all the way to year 11.

Colleges of further education in Cumbria include:
*  [[Carlisle College]]
*  [[Furness College, Barrow-in-Furness|Furness College]] which includes [[Barrow Sixth Form College]]
*  [[Kendal College]]
*  [[Lakes College]]

The [[University of Cumbria]] is one of the UK's newest universities, having been established in 2007. It is at present the only university based in Cumbria and has campuses across the county, together with [[St Martin's College|Lancaster]] and London.

==Transport==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2021}}

===Road===
[[File:Lune Valley from Grayrigg Forest.jpg|thumb|right|The [[M6 motorway]] and [[West Coast Main Line]] near [[Grayrigg Forest]]]]
The [[M6 motorway|M6]] is the only motorway that runs through Cumbria. [[Kendal]] and [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]] are amongst its primary destinations. Further north it becomes the [[A74(M)]] at the border with Scotland north of [[Carlisle]]. Major [[A roads in Great Britain|A roads]] within Cumbria include:
{|
||
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|6}} (Luton, Bedfordshire to Carlisle via Kendal and Penrith)
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|66}} (Workington to Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire via Keswick and M6 Junction 40)
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|69}} (Carlisle to Newcastle upon Tyne via Brampton and Hexham)
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|590}} (M6 Junction 36 to Barrow-in-Furness via Ulverston)
||
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|591}} (Sizergh to Bothel via Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick)
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|592}} (Penrith to Newby Bridge via M6 Junction 40, Windermere and Bowness)
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|595}} (Carlisle to Dalton-in-Furness via Whitehaven and Workington)
*{{jct|country=GBR|A|596}} (Carlisle to Workington)
|}

Several bus companies run services in Cumbria serving the main towns and villages in the county, with some services running to neighbouring areas such as [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]]. [[Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire]] is the largest; it has depots in Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Kendal and Workington. Stagecoach's flagship X6 route connects Barrow-in-Furness and Kendal in south Cumbria.

===Air===
There are only two airports in the county: [[Carlisle Lake District Airport|Carlisle Lake District]] and [[Barrow/Walney Island Airport|Barrow/Walney Island]]. Both airports formerly served scheduled passenger flights and both are proposing expansions and renovations to handle domestic and European flights in the near future. The nearest international airports to south Cumbria are [[Blackpool International Airport|Blackpool]], [[Manchester Airport|Manchester]], [[Liverpool John Lennon]] and [[Teesside Airport|Teesside]]. North Cumbria is closer to [[Newcastle International Airport|Newcastle]], [[Glasgow Prestwick]] and [[Glasgow International Airport|Glasgow International]].

===Ports===
Barrow-in-Furness is one of the country's largest shipbuilding centres, but the [[Port of Barrow]] is only minor, operated by [[Associated British Ports]] alongside the Port of [[Silloth]] in Allerdale. There are no ferry links from any port or harbour along the Cumbria coast.

===Rail===
The busiest railway stations in Cumbria are [[Carlisle railway station|Carlisle]], [[Barrow-in-Furness railway station|Barrow-in-Furness]], [[Penrith railway station|Penrith]] and [[Oxenholme Lake District]]. The {{convert|399|mi|km}} [[West Coast Main Line]] runs through the Cumbria countryside, adjacent to the M6 motorway. The [[Cumbrian Coast Line]] connects Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle and is a vital link in the west of the county. Other railways in Cumbria are the [[Windermere Branch Line]], most of the [[Furness Line]] and much of the [[Settle-Carlisle Railway]].

==Demography==
{{Location map+|Cumbria
 |caption={{center|The largest settlements in Cumbria}}
 |float=right
 |width=350
 |places =
  <!-- First two have population over 50,000 according to their articles, listed in descending order-->
  {{Location map~|Cumbria|lat=54.8910|long=-2.9439|label='''[[Carlisle]]'''|label_size=100|marksize=12}}
  {{Location map~|Cumbria|lat=54.1108|long=-3.2261|label='''[[Barrow-in-Furness]]'''|label_size=100|marksize=12}}
  <!-- Below all have population over 20,000 according to their articles, listed in descending order-->
  {{Location map~|Cumbria|lat=54.3260|long=-2.7450|label=[[Kendal]]|label_size=85}}
  {{Location map~|Cumbria|lat=54.5480|long=-3.5855|label=[[Whitehaven]]|label_size=85}}
  {{Location map~|Cumbria|lat=54.6365|long=-3.5549|label=[[Workington]]|label_size=85}}
  <!-- Below all have population over 10,000 according to their articles, listed in descending order-->
  {{Location map~|Cumbria|lat=54.6648|long=-2.7548|label=[[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]]|label_size=70}}
  {{Location map~|Cumbria|lat=54.7128|long=-3.4926|label=[[Maryport]]|label_size=70}}
  {{Location map~|Cumbria|lat=54.1931|long=-3.0906|label=[[Ulverston]]|label_size=70}}
 }}
{{Main|Demographics of Cumbria}}

=== Population ===
Cumbria's largest settlement and only city is [[Carlisle]], in the north of the county. The largest town, [[Barrow-in-Furness]], in the south, is slightly smaller. The county's population is largely rural: it has the second-lowest population density among English counties, and only five towns with over 20,000 people. Cumbria is one of the country's most ethnically homogeneous counties, with 95% categorised as [[White British]] (around 471,000 of the 500,000).<ref name="2009ethnicity">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/lad-tables-2009.xls |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810102910/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/lad-tables-2009.xls |archive-date=10 August 2011 | title=Current Estimates – Population Estimates by Ethnic Group Mid-2009 (experimental) | publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] | access-date=20 May 2011}}</ref> The larger towns have ethnic makeups closer to the national average. The [[United Kingdom 2001 census|2001 census]] indicated Christianity was the religion with the most adherents in the county.
[[File:Map of Northern England with settlements and traditional counties.png|thumb|This map of cities and towns of Northern England shows the relative lack of urbanisation in Cumbria (shown here as the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland) compared to the rest of the region]]
2010 [[Office for National Statistics|ONS]] estimates placed the number of foreign-born (non-United Kingdom) people living in Cumbria at around 14,000 and foreign nationals at 6,000.<ref name="2010 estimates">{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/population-by-birthcountrynationality-apr09-mar10.zip |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629185605/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/population-by-birthcountrynationality-apr09-mar10.zip |archive-date=29 June 2011 |title=Table 1.3: Estimated population resident in the United Kingdom, by foreign country of birth, April 2009 to March 2010 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=14 January 2011}}</ref> Population trends indicate a gradual decline in younger demographics, with an increasing proportion of elderly residents.<ref>{{Cite web | title=UK Census Data | url=https://www.ons.gov.uk | access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> The [[2001 UK Census]] showed the following most common countries of birth for residents of Cumbria that year:

{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|
* England, 454,137
* Scotland, 16,628
* Wales, 3,471
* Northern Ireland, 2,289
* Germany, 1,438
* Republic of Ireland, 1,359
* South Africa, 603
* Canada, 581
* Australia, 531
* United States, 493
* India, 476
* Hong Kong, 417
* Italy, 249
* New Zealand, 241
* France, 197
* Poland, 193
* Cyprus, 174
* Netherlands, 167
* Spain, 166
* Singapore, 160
}}

{{Historical populations|align=none|cols=4|percentages=pagr
| title = Population totals for Cumbria
| 1801 | 173,017
| 1811 | 193,139
| 1821 | 225,555
| 1831 | 242,320
| 1841 | 255,603
| 1851 | 274,957
| 1861 | 320,257
| 1871 | 365,556
| 1881 | 410,856
| 1891 | 434,867
| 1901 | 437,364
| 1911 | 440,485
| 1921 | 441,483
| 1931 | 442,693
| 1941 | 456,833
| 1951 | 471,897
| 1961 | 473,706
| 1971 | 475,669
| 1981 | 471,693
| 1991 | 489,191
| 2001 | 487,607
| 2011 | 499,900
| 2014 | 499,800
| footnote = Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that are now comprised by Cumbria<br />''Source: [[Great Britain Historical GIS]].''<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TOT_POP&u_id=10105833&c_id=10001043&add=N |title=Cumbria Modern (post 1974) County: Total Population |author=A Vision of Britain through time |access-date=10 January 2010 |author-link=A Vision of Britain through Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906095516/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TOT_POP&u_id=10105833&c_id=10001043&add=N |archive-date=6 September 2011 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbria-s-population-rises-by-12-000-in-10-years-1.976435 |title=Ballet star shows off charity portraits |access-date=19 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120052620/http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbria-s-population-rises-by-12-000-in-10-years-1.976435 |archive-date=20 November 2015 }}</ref>
}}

<!-- Self-maintaining population table -->
{{Cumbria population table}}

==Settlements==
{{Main|List of places in Cumbria|List of settlements in Cumbria by population}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Alston, Cumbria|Alston]]
* [[Ambleside]]
* [[Appleby-in-Westmorland]]
* [[Arlecdon and Frizington]]
* [[Askam and Ireleth]]
* [[Aspatria]]
* [[Barrow-in-Furness]]
* [[Bowness-on-Windermere]]
* [[Brampton, Carlisle, Cumbria|Brampton]]
* [[Carlisle]]
* [[Cleator Moor]]
* [[Cockermouth]]
* [[Coniston, Cumbria|Coniston]]
* [[Dalston, Cumbria|Dalston]]
* [[Dalton-in-Furness]]
* [[Egremont, Cumbria|Egremont]]
* [[Grasmere (village)|Grasmere]]
* [[Harrington, Cumbria|Harrington]]
* [[Hawkshead]]
* [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]]
* [[Kirkby Lonsdale]]
* [[Kirkby Stephen]]
* [[Kirkoswald, Cumbria|Kirkoswald]]
* [[Longtown, Cumbria|Longtown]]
* [[Maryport]]
* [[Millom]]
* [[Milnthorpe]]
* [[Sedbergh]]
* [[Shap]]
* [[Silloth]]
* [[St Bees]]
* [[Ulverston]]
* [[Walney Island]]
* [[Whitehaven]]
* [[Wigton]]
* [[Windermere, Cumbria (town)|Windermere]]
* [[Workington]]
{{div col end}}

==Sport==
===Running===
[[Fell running]] is a popular sport in Cumbria, with an active calendar of competitions taking place throughout the year.
Cumbria is also home to several of the most active [[orienteering]] clubs in the UK as well as the Lakes 5 Days competition that takes place every four years.

===Football codes===
{{Main|Uppies and Downies}}
[[Workington]] is home to the [[ball game]] known as Uppies and Downies,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uppiesanddownies.info/Field_text=Uppies+and+Downies&x=165&y=55/ |title=Uppies and Downies website |access-date=25 June 2009}} {{Dead link |date=September 2010 |bot=H3llBot}}</ref> a traditional version of football, with its origins in [[medieval football]] or an even earlier form.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=91xjXRYPyKYC&q=mass+ball+game&pg=PA60 |title=Origins of Mass ball Games |access-date=25 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102115721/https://books.google.com/books?id=91xjXRYPyKYC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=mass+ball+game&source=bl&ots=Sw7ynAMw8j&sig=Lq6XpojKfzD8WwPUTNtoNhiaqBk&hl=en&ei=B4JESub2DsKgjAe1u-Ri&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2 |archive-date=2 January 2016 |url-status=live  |isbn=9780313274534 |last1=Henricks |first1=Thomas S. |year=1991 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic }}</ref> Players from outside Workington also take part, especially fellow West Cumbrians from [[Whitehaven]] and [[Maryport]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://timesandstar.co.uk/home/search_results_page_2_1681?Field_text=Uppies+and+Downies&x=165&y=55/ | title=Times and Star | access-date=25 June 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831050340/http://timesandstar.co.uk/home/search_results_page_2_1681?Field_text=Uppies+and+Downies&x=165&y=55%2F | archive-date=31 August 2011 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Cumbria formerly had minor American football clubs, the Furness Phantoms (the club is now defunct, its last name was [[Morecambe Bay Storm]]) and the Carlisle Kestrels.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 January 2020 |title=Carlisle Kestrels American Football team hoping to soar again |work=News & Star |url=https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/sport/18168874.carlisle-kestrels-american-football-team-hoping-soar/ |access-date=27 November 2021 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127161630/https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/sport/18168874.carlisle-kestrels-american-football-team-hoping-soar/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Association====
[[File:Brunton Park Welcome.jpg|thumb|right|[[Brunton Park]], the home of Carlisle United]]
[[Barrow A.F.C.|Barrow]] and [[Carlisle United]] are the only professional football teams in Cumbria.  Carlisle United attract support from across Cumbria and beyond, with many Cumbrian "ex-pats" travelling to see their games, both home and away.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}}

[[Workington A.F.C.|Workington]]—who are always known locally as "the reds"—are a well-supported non-league team,{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} having been relegated from the Football League in the 1970s. Workington made a rapid rise up the non league ladder and in 2007/08 competed with Barrow in the [[Conference North]]. Barrow were then promoted to the [[Conference Premier]] in 2007/08. In 2020, Barrow were promoted to the [[Football League]] as a result of winning the [[2019–20 National League|National League]].

====Rugby codes====
[[Rugby union]] is popular in the county's north and east with teams such as Furness RUFC & Hawcoat Park RUFC (South Cumbria), Workington RUFC (Workington Zebras), Whitehaven RUFC, Carlisle RUFC, Creighton RUFC, [[Aspatria RUFC]], Wigton RUFC, [[Kendal RUFC]], Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC, Keswick RUFC, Cockermouth RUFC, Upper Eden RUFC and [[Penrith RUFC]].
[[File:Craven Park, Barrow.jpg|thumb|right|[[Craven Park (Barrow)|Craven Park]], home of Barrow Raiders]]
[[Rugby league]] is a very popular sport in south and West Cumbria. [[Barrow Raiders|Barrow]], [[Whitehaven R.L.F.C.|Whitehaven]] and [[Workington Town|Workington]] play in the [[RFL League 1|Rugby League Championships]]. [[British Amateur Rugby League Association|Amateur]] teams; Wath Brow Hornets, [[Askam and Ireleth#Sport|Askam]], [[Egremont Rangers]], [[Kells A.R.L.F.C.|Kells]], Barrow Island, Hensingham and [[Millom RLFC|Millom]] play in the [[National Conference League|National Conference]].

===Bat-and-ball===
[[Cumbria County Cricket Club]] is one of the [[cricket]] clubs that constitute the [[National Counties of English and Welsh cricket|National Counties]] in the English domestic cricket structure. The club, based in [[Carlisle]], competes in the [[National Counties Cricket Championship]] and the [[NCCA Knockout Trophy]]. The club also play some home matches in [[Workington]], as well as other locations. Cumbrian [[club cricket]] teams play in the [[North Lancashire and Cumbria League]].

Cumbria is home to the [[Cartmel|Cartmel Valley Lions]], an amateur baseball team based in Cartmel.

===Wrestling===
{{Main|Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling}}
Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is an ancient and well-practised tradition in the county with a strong resemblance to [[Scottish Backhold]].

In the 21st century Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling along with other aspects of Lakeland culture are practised at the Grasmere Sports and Show, an annual meeting held every year since 1852 on the August [[Bank Holiday]].

The origin of this form of wrestling is a matter of debate, with some describing it as having evolved from Norse wrestling brought over by Viking invaders,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://ejmas.com/kronos/NewHist1700-1859.htm| title=Kronos; A Chronology of the Martial Arts and Combative Sports| access-date=24 February 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209214913/http://ejmas.com/kronos/NewHist1700-1859.htm| archive-date=9 February 2007| url-status=dead| df=dmy-all}}</ref> while other historians associate it with the [[Cornish Wrestling|Cornish]] and [[Gouren]] styles<ref>{{cite web| url=http://sportsvl.com/rest/wrestling/wrestling.htm#Celtic| title=Amateur Wrestling| access-date=24 February 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230045800/http://sportsvl.com/rest/wrestling/wrestling.htm#Celtic| archive-date=30 December 2006| url-status=dead| df=dmy-all}}</ref> indicating that it may have developed out of a longer-standing Celtic tradition.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://ejmas.com/kronos/NewHist0500-1349.htm| title=Kronos; A Chronology of the Martial Arts and Combative Sports| access-date=24 February 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209214023/http://ejmas.com/kronos/NewHist0500-1349.htm| archive-date=9 February 2007| url-status=dead| df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Racing===
Cumbria Kart Racing Club is based at the Lakeland Circuit, [[Rowrah]], between [[Cockermouth]] and [[Egremont, Cumbria|Egremont]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20120421201446/http://www.cumbriakrc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43&Itemid=48 Lakeland Circuit]. The track is currently a venue for rounds of both major UK national karting championships [https://web.archive.org/web/20120421212608/http://www.cumbriakrc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=19 About Cumbria Kart Racing Club]. [[Formula One]] world champions [[Lewis Hamilton]] and [[Jenson Button]] both raced karts at Rowrah many times in the formative stages of their motor sport careers,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cumbriakrc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=19|title=About Cumbria Kart Racing Club|date=21 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421212608/http://www.cumbriakrc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=19|archive-date=21 April 2012}}</ref> while other F1 drivers, past and present, to have competed there include [[Johnny Herbert]], [[Anthony Davidson]], [[Allan McNish]], [[Ralph Firman]], [[Paul di Resta]] and [[David Coulthard]], who hailed from just over the nearby Anglo-Scottish border and regarded Rowrah as his home circuit, becoming Cumbria Kart Racing Club Champion in 1985 in succession to McNish (di Resta also taking the CKRC title subsequently).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.egremont-today.com/812rowrah.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111011816/http://www.egremont-today.com/812rowrah.htm|title=Rowrah Paves Way for Next Lewis Hamilton|archive-date=11 January 2012|url-status=usurped|work=Ergemont Today}}</ref>

[[Workington Comets]] were a Workington-based professional [[Motorcycle speedway|speedway]] team,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.workingtoncomets.co/ | title=Workington Speedway | website=Workington Comets | access-date=18 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719024357/http://www.workingtoncomets.co/ | archive-date=19 July 2018 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref> which competed in the British Speedway Championship.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.british-speedway.co.uk/plteams.html | title=British Speedway's Premier League | website=British Speedway | access-date=18 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603223200/http://www.british-speedway.co.uk/plteams.html | archive-date=3 June 2010 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The [[World Rally Championship]] team [[Ford World Rally Team]] were based in Cumbria until their withdrawal after the 2012 season. A successful team, they won the [[List of World Rally Championship Manufacturers' champions|Championship for manufacturers]] three times. The [[M-Sport Ford World Rally Team]] succeeded this team and have since won the Championship for manufacturers in [[2017 FIA World Rally Championship|2017]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.m-sport.co.uk/m-sport| title=About M-Sport UK| website=M-Sport| access-date=21 May 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121013339/https://www.m-sport.co.uk/m-sport| archive-date=21 January 2025 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Food==

Cumbria is the UK county with the highest number of [[Michelin Guide|Michelin-starred]] restaurants, with seven in this classification in the Great Britain and Ireland Michelin Guide of 2021. Traditional Cumbrian cuisine has been influenced by the spices and molasses that were imported into [[Whitehaven]] in the 18th century. The [[Cumberland sausage]] (which has a [[protected geographical status]]) is a well-recognised result of this. Other regional specialities include Herdwick mutton and the salt-marsh raised lamb of the [[Cartmel Peninsula]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cumbria – the UK county with the most Michelin stars |url=https://guide.michelin.com/ie/en/article/features/cumbria---the-uk-county-with-the-most-michelin-stars |website=Michelin Guide |access-date=15 July 2021 |archive-date=15 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715085837/https://guide.michelin.com/ie/en/article/features/cumbria---the-uk-county-with-the-most-michelin-stars |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Dialect influences ==
{{main|Cumbrian dialect}}
{{Prose|section|date=September 2025}}
===Celtic===
* Cumbria was mostly Celtic speaking until the Viking invasion, if not later (Cymry)<ref name="wales">{{Cite book|title=Northern English|url=https://archive.org/details/northernenglishs00wale_327|url-access=limited|last=Wales|first=Katie|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2006|location=Cambridge|pages=[https://archive.org/details/northernenglishs00wale_327/page/n80 62]|isbn=9780521861076}}</ref>
* English spoken in parts of Cumbria; relatively sparsely populated until 12th/13th centuries<ref>{{Cite book|title=A History of English|last=Strang|first=Barbara M.H.|publisher=Methuen|year=1970|location=London|pages=256}}</ref> 
* The invading Angles and Saxons forced the indigenous Celtic peoples back to the western highlands of Cumbria, Wales and Cornwall, with little linguistic consequence, apart from a residual scattering of place-names.
* Northwest – possibility of direct influence from Irish Gaelic across Irish Sea via Whitehaven until 10th century<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Routes of English|last=Elmes|first=Simon|publisher=BBC|year=1999|location=London|pages=27}}</ref>
* Celtic influence/kingdoms may have confirmed perception of difference between the north–south{{clarify|date=June 2021}}<ref name="wales" />
* Linguistic interaction between Celts and English underrated: effectively Celtic influence marked the beginnings of a linguistic divide between English and other West Germanic dialects.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tristram|first=Hildegard|year=2000|title=Introduction: languages in contact; layer cake model or otherwise?|journal=The Celtic Languages|volume=2|pages=1–8}}</ref>
* [[Lexis (linguistics)|Lexis]] – Celtic influence left specifically on the sound pattern of sheep-scoring numerals of Cumbrian and West Yorkshire<ref name="wales" />
* Loss of inflections may be explained by contact with Celtic tribes and inter-marriage.<ref name="wales" />

===Anglo-Saxon/Viking===
* Earliest Anglo-Saxon settlements in the east of England. Took over 200 years to establish a frontier in the west where the displaced British had settled<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Social History of English|last=Leith|first=Dick|publisher=Routledge|year=1983|location=London|pages=106}}</ref>
* Morphology – Old Northumbrian (little evidence) signs of loss of inflexions long before southern dialects below the Humber, precede Viking settlements and dialect contact situation<ref name="wales" />

===Scandinavian/Norse/Dane===
* Lack of extent of Old English written evidence<ref name="wales" />
* Main attacks/raids on the North-East coast at Lindisfarne and Jarrow in 793/ 794<ref name="wales" />
* Settlement patterns (Danes) contributed to emerging differences over time between Northumberland. Durham and Yorkshire dialects<ref name="wales" />
* Norwegian settlers via Ireland to Isle of Man, Mersey estuary (901) and the Cumbrian/ Lancashire coasts (900–50) – dialectal differences (Danes/ Norwegians) often lumped together in standard histories – MUST have confirmed emerging dialectal differences east and west of the Pennines<ref name="wales" />
* Danelaw – land of north and east of land ruled under Danish law and Danish customs (978–1016)<ref name="wales" />
* Scandinavian influences vocabulary – common words gradually diffused/ entered word stock (borrowings) which survive in regional use – ''fell'' ('hillside'), ''lug'' ('ear'), ''loup'' ('jump'), ''aye'' ('yes')
* Influence on grammatical structure  – Middle English texts reveal that present participle form ''-and'', and possible that use of ''at'' and ''as'' as relative pronouns from Cumbria to East Yorkshire<ref name="wales" />
* Phonetically /g/, /k/ and cluster /sk/ have a northern/ Norse pronunciation /j/, /ʧ/ and /ʃ/ which are West Saxon – hard vs. soft consonants of north–south dialects – e.g. ''give/ rigg'' ('ridge'), ''skrike'' ('shriek'), ''kist'' ('chest') and ''ik'' ('I')<ref name="wales" />
*  'Interdialect forms' in Danelaw area (diffuse > focussed situation) –  no clear idea about what language they were speaking – mixture of Old English and Norse e.g. ''she'' (3rd person pronoun) is claimed by both languages<ref name="wales" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Trudgill|first=Peter|year=1974|title=Linguistic change and diffusion: description and explanation in sociolinguistic dialect geography|journal=Language in Society|volume=3|issue=2|pages=215–2246|doi=10.1017/s0047404500004358|s2cid=145148233 }}</ref>
* Bilingualism was norm in areas under Danelaw (plausible)<ref name="wales" />
* Norse runic inscriptions survive from 11th century in Cumbria – therefore may only been after Norman Conquest that 'Norse as a living language died out'<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Werner|first=Otmar|year=1991|title=The incorporation of Old Norse pronouns in Middle English: suppletion by loan|journal=Language Contact in the British Isles|pages=369–401|doi=10.1515/9783111678658.369}}</ref>
* Norse surviving longest in closed communities<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gordon|first=E.V.|year=1923|title=Scandinavian Influence in Yorkshire Dialects|journal=Transactions of the Yorkshire Dialect Society|volume=4|pages=5–22}}</ref>

===Normans===
* Jewell (1994: 20) – Northumbria retained relative independence until 13th century – effective government of North by Normans 'petered-out' at Lake District and North of Tees (not recorded in Domesday Book)<ref>{{Cite book|title=The North-South Divide: The Origins of Northern Consciousness in England|last=Jewell|first=Helen|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=1994|location=Manchester|pages=20}}</ref>
* Carlisle retaken by Scots in 1136<ref name="wales" />

===Cumbric===
{{main|Cumbric}}
* Early 10th century – The grip from Northumbrian{{clarify|date=June 2021}} on the former territory of [[Rheged]] was that of Britons of Strathcylde reoccupied southwest Scotland and northwest England as far south as Derwent and Penrith.<ref name="price">{{Cite book|title=Languages in Britain and Ireland|last=Price|first=G|publisher=Blackwell|year=2000|location=Oxford|pages=125}}</ref>  which was held until Carlisle retaken by Scots in 1136<ref name="wales" />
* Cumbric perhaps survived until it faded in the early 12th century throughout Cumbria.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Maps of Meaning: An Introduction to Cultural Geography|last=Jackson|first=Peter|publisher=Unwin Hyman|year=1989|location=London|pages=72}}</ref>
* Cumbric score – counting sheep – Welsh correspondence   Welsh ("un, dau, tri") – Cumberland ("yan, tyan, tethera") – Westmorland ("yan, than, teddera") – Lancashire ("yan, taen, tedderte") – West Yorkshire ("yain, tain, eddero")<ref name="price" /> – survived 7–8 centuries after the language itself had died – Brittonic origin
* Not one single complete phrase in Cumbric survives, evidence to suggest strong literary tradition, probably oral, some of this early material is known in a Welsh version{{clarify|date=June 2021}}<ref name="price" />

==Media==
Two evening newspapers are published daily in Cumbria. The ''[[News and Star]]'' focuses largely on Carlisle and the surrounding areas of north and west Cumbria, and the ''[[North-West Evening Mail]]'' is based in Barrow-in-Furness and covers news from across Furness and the South Lakes. The ''[[Cumberland and Westmorland Herald]]'' and ''[[The Westmorland Gazette]]'' are weekly newspapers based in [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]] and [[Kendal]] respectively. The Egremont 2Day newspaper, formerly Egremont Today when affiliated with the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], was a prominent monthly publication – founded by Peter Watson (and edited by him until his death in 2014) in 1990 until July 2018.  In February 2020 The Herdwick News, run by the last editor of The Egremont 2Day, was launched and is an independent online news publication covering the county of Cumbria and the North West.

Due to the size of Cumbria the county spans two television zones: [[BBC North East and Cumbria]] and [[ITV Border]] in the north and centre, and [[BBC North West]] and [[ITV Granada]] in the south. [[Heart North West]], [[Greatest Hits Radio Cumbria & South West Scotland]] and [[Smooth Lake District]] are the most popular local radio stations throughout the county, with [[BBC Radio Cumbria]] being the only station that is aimed at Cumbria as a whole. [[BBC Radio Lancashire]] can also be received in southern parts of the county.

Cumbria is host to a number of festivals, including [[Kendal Calling]] (actually held in Penrith since 2009)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.kendalcalling.co.uk/information/travel|title=Travel – Kendal Calling|work=Kendal Calling|access-date=6 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906195447/https://www.kendalcalling.co.uk/information/travel|archive-date=6 September 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/leisure/whats_on/4160803.Kendal_Calling_2009_-_have_your_say/|title=Kendal Calling 2009 – have your say|website=The Westmorland Gazette|access-date=6 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906195506/http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/leisure/whats_on/4160803.Kendal_Calling_2009_-_have_your_say/|archive-date=6 September 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Kendal Mountain Festival]].

==Places of interest==
[[File:Furness Abbey 03.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Furness Abbey]]]]
[[File:Hadrian's Wall at Birdoswald - geograph.org.uk - 552095.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Hadrian's Wall]]]]
[[File:Pele Tower at Muncaster Castle (geograph 6058924).jpg|thumb|[[Muncaster Castle]]]]
{{EngPlacesKey|align=right}}
{|
|
*[[Appleby Horse Fair]] ([[Gypsy]] fair)
*[[Armitt Library|Armitt Museum and Library]], Ambleside
*[[Bassenthwaite Lake]]
*[[Black Combe]] fell
*[[Blackwell (historic house)|Blackwell]] house [[Image:HH icon.svg|Historic House]]
*[[Brantwood]] house and museum[[Image:HH icon.svg|Historic House]]
*[[Cartmel Priory]] [[Image:AP Icon.svg|16px|Priory]]
*[[Carlisle Cathedral]] [[Image:AP Icon.svg|16px|Cathedral]]
*[[Carlisle Citadel]]
*Castles
**[[Appleby Castle|Appleby]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]]
**[[Brough Castle|Brough]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:EH icon.svg]]
**[[Brougham Castle|Brougham]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:EH icon.svg]]
**[[Carlisle Castle|Carlisle]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:EH icon.svg]]
**[[Dalton Castle, Cumbria|Dalton]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:NTE icon.svg]]
**[[Egremont Castle|Egremont]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:EH icon.svg]]
**[[Hartley Castle|Hartley]]
**[[Kendal Castle|Kendal]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:UKAL icon.svg]]
**[[Muncaster Castle|Muncaster]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:HH icon.svg|Historic House]] [[Image:EH icon.svg]]
**[[Penrith Castle|Penrith]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:EH icon.svg]]
**[[Fouldry Castle|Fouldry]] on [[Piel Island]] [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] 
**[[Sizergh]] with garden [[File:CL icon.svg|Castle]] [[Image:NTE icon.svg]]
*[[Castlerigg Stone Circle]]
*[[Church of St Olaf, Wasdale]]
*Wainwright's [[Coast to Coast Walk]]
*[[Dock Museum]] [[Image:Museum icon.svg|Museum]]
*[[Dove Cottage]]
*[[Eden Valley Railway (heritage railway)|Eden Valley Railway]]
*[[Fell Foot Park]] [[Image:NTE icon.svg|County Park]]
*[[Firbank Fell]]
*[[Furness Abbey]] [[Image:AP Icon.svg|16px|Abbey]]
*[[Haig Colliery Mining Museum]] [[Image:Museum icon.svg|Museum]]
*[[Harrison Stickle]]
*[[Hadrian's Wall]]
*Halls
**[[Abbot Hall Art Gallery|Abbot]], art gallery and museum [[Image:Museum icon (red).svg|Museum]]
**[[Brougham Hall|Brough]]
**[[Holker Hall|Holker]] [[Image:HH icon.svg|Historic House]]
**[[Levens Hall|Levens]] [[Image:HH icon.svg|Historic House]]
**[[Swarthmoor Hall|Swarthmoor]]
|
*[[Hawkshead Grammar School Museum]]
*[[Hill Top, Cumbria|Hill Top]] house museum
*[[Hoad Monument]]
*[[Hodbarrow Nature Reserve]]
*[[Killington Reservoir]]
*[[Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway]] [[Image:HR icon.svg|heritage railway]]
*[[Langwathby railway station]]
*[[Lakeland Wildlife Oasis]] [[File:Zoo icon.jpg|25px]]
*[[Lanercost Priory]] [[Image:AP Icon.svg|16px|Priory]]
*Long-distance footpaths
**[[Cumbria Coastal Way]]
**[[Cumbria Way]]
**[[Dales Way]]
**[[Pennine Way]]
*Meres
**[[Buttermere]]
**[[Kentmere]]
**[[Thirlmere]]
**[[Windermere]]
*[[Millom Folk Museum]] [[Image:Museum icon (red).svg|Museum]]
*[[Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry]] [[Image:Museum icon (red).svg|Museum]]
*[[National Nature Reserves in Cumbria]]
*[[Quaker tapestry]]
*[[Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway]]&nbsp;– [[heritage railway]] [[Image:HR icon.svg|Heritage Railway]]
*[[Rey Cross]]
*[[Sea to Sea Cycle Route]]
*[[Seathwaite Tarn]]
*[[Sellafield|Sellafield Nuclear Reprocessing Facility]]
*[[Skelton Transmitting Station]] (UK's tallest structure)
*[[South Lakes Safari Zoo]] [[File:Zoo icon.jpg|15px]]
*[[St Bees Priory]] [[Image:AP Icon.svg|16px|Priory]]
*[[St Bees Head]]
*[[Stott Park Bobbin Mill]]
*Waters:
**[[Coniston Water|Coniston]]
**[[Crummock Water|Crummock]]
**[[Derwent Water|Derwent]]
**[[Ennerdale Water|Ennerdale]]
**[[Haweswater]]
**[[Rydal Water|Rydal]]
**[[Wast Water|Wast]]
**[[Ullswater]]
*[[Whinfell Forest]]
*[[Windermere Steamboat Museum]] [[Image:Museum icon (red).svg|Museum]]
|}

===Gallery===
{{gallery
|Fleswick bay St Bees head.JPG|[[St Bees Head]]
|Castlerigg Stone Circle - geograph.org.uk - 590652.jpg|[[Castlerigg Stone Circle]]
|Flat calm at dawn, Windermere, from below Claife Heights - geograph.org.uk - 559443.jpg|[[Windermere]]
|Thirleme 069.jpg|[[Thirlmere]]
}}

==Notable people==
{{hatnote|See also: [[:Category:People from Carlisle, Cumbria|List of people from Carlisle]], [[List of people from Barrow-in-Furness]], [[Kendal#Notable people|List of people from Kendal]], [[List of people from Cumbria]]}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=16em|
*[[Abraham Acton]]
*[[Adam Roynon]]
*[[Ade Gardner]]
*[[Aim (musician)|Aim]]
*[[Alfred Wainwright]]
*[[Anna Dean]]
*[[Anna Ford]]
*[[Beatrix Potter]]
*[[Ben Stokes]]
*[[Bill Birkett]]
*[[Brad Kavanagh]]
*[[Brian Donnelly (UK diplomat)|Brian Donnelly]]
*[[Brian Edgar]]
*[[British Sea Power]]
*[[Catherine Hall (novelist)]]
*[[Catherine Parr]]
*[[Chris Bonington]]
*[[Christine McVie]]
*[[Christopher Wordsworth]]
*[[Constance Spry]]
*[[Baron Campbell-Savours]]
*[[Dean Henderson]]
*[[Derrick Bird]]
*[[Dick Huddart]]
*[[Donald Campbell]]
*[[Dorothy Wordsworth]]
*[[Douglas Ferreira]]
*[[Eddie Stobart]]
*[[Edmund Grindal]]
*[[Edward Stobart]]
*[[Edward Troughton]]
*[[Emlyn Hughes]]
*[[Eric Robson]]
*[[Eric Wallace]]
*[[Fletcher Christian]]
*[[Francis Dunnery]]
*[[Francis Howgill]]
*[[Frank McPherson]]
*[[Baron Peart]]
*[[Gary McKee]]
*[[Gary Stevens (footballer, born 1963)|Gary Stevens]]
*[[Gavin Skelton]]
*[[George MacDonald Fraser]]
*[[George Romney (painter)|George Romney]]
*[[Georgia Stanway]]
*[[Glenn Cornick]]
*[[Glenn Murray]]
*[[Harry Hadley]]
*[[Helen Skelton]]
*[[Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale]]
*[[Ian McDonald (footballer, born 1953)|Ian McDonald]]
*[[Ike Southward]]
*[[Jack Pelter]]
*[[James Alexander Smith]]
*[[Jess Gillam]]
*[[Jimmy Lewthwaite]]
*[[John Adams, 1st Baron Adams|Jack Adams]]
*[[John Burridge]]
*[[John Dalton]]
*[[John Peel (farmer)|John Peel]]
*[[John Ruskin]]
*[[John Wilkinson (industrialist)|John Wilkinson]]
*[[Jon Roper]]
*[[Josefina de Vasconcellos]]
*[[Joss Naylor]]
*[[Karen Taylor (comedienne)|Karen Taylor]]
*[[Kathleen Ferrier]]
*[[Keith Tyson]]
*[[Kyle Dempsey]]
*[[Lady Anne Clifford]]
*[[Len Wilkinson]]
*[[Lord Soulsby]]
*[[Malcolm Wilson (rally)|Malcolm Wilson]]
*[[Margaret Fell]]
*[[Mark Cueto]]
*[[Mark Jenkinson]]
*[[Matthew Wilson (rally driver)|Matthew Wilson]] 
*[[Maurice Flitcroft]]
*[[Melvyn Bragg]]
*[[Montagu Slater]]
*[[Neil Ferguson (epidemiologist)|Neil Ferguson]]
*[[Nella Last]]
*[[Nigel Kneale]]
*[[Norman Birkett]]
*[[Norman Gifford]]
*[[Norman Nicholson]]
*[[Percy Kelly (artist)|Percy Kelly]]
*[[Peter Purves]]
*[[Phil Jackson (rugby league born 1932)|Phil Jackson]]
*[[Richard Abbot]]
*[[Richard T. Slone]]
*[[Robert Southey]]
*[[Saint Ninian]]
*[[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]]
*[[Sarah Hall (writer)|Sarah Hall]]
*[[Sheila Fell]]
*[[Sir James Ramsden]]
*[[Sir John Barrow]]
*[[Sol Roper]]
*[[Stan Laurel]]
*[[Dame Stella Rimington]]
*[[Stephen Holgate (rugby league)|Stephen Holgate]]
*[[Steve Dixon (newsreader)|Steve Dixon]]
*[[Stuart Lancaster (rugby union)|Stuart Lancaster]]
*[[Stuart Stockdale]]
*[[Taylor Charters]]
*[[The Hairy Bikers|Dave Myers]]
*[[Thomas Cape]]
*[[Thomas DeQuincey]]
*[[Thomas Henry Ismay]]
*[[Thomas Round]]
*[[Troy Donockley]]
*[[Vic Metcalfe]]
*[[Wayne Curtis]]
*[[William Gilpin (priest)|William Gilpin]]
*[[William Stobart]]
*[[William Whitelaw]]
*[[William Wordsworth]]
*[[Willie Horne]]
}}
<gallery>
File:Stan Laurel c1920.jpg| [[Stan Laurel]]
File:Potter 1912.JPG| [[Beatrix Potter]]
File:William Wordsworth at 28 by William Shuter2.jpg| [[William Wordsworth]]
</gallery>

==Symbols==
[[File:Community flag of Cumbria.svg|thumb|The [[Flag of Cumbria]], adopted in 2025]]
The county is represented by the [[Flag of Cumbria]], also known as the Cumbria Community Flag. 
The design features green and gold chevrons symbolising the county's hills, fells and farmland, 
a blue field for its lakes, rivers and coastline, and a golden crown representing unity, heritage and civic pride.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cumbria's first official community flag launched |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51171z405ro |work=BBC News |date=5 September 2025 |access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Cumbria Community Flag |url=https://www.lordlieutenantcumbria.co.uk/flag |website=Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria |access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Geography|<!-- Eurasia -->|Europe|<!-- Western Europe -->|<!-- Northern Europe -->|United Kingdom|England|North West England|Cumbria}}
*[[Anglo-Scottish border]]
*[[Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner]]
*[[Healthcare in Cumbria]]
*[[List of Cumbria-related topics]]
*[[List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)#Cumberland]]
*[[List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)#Westmorland]]
*[[High Sheriff of Cumbria|List of High Sheriffs of Cumbria]]
*[[Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria|List of Lord Lieutenants of Cumbria]]
*''[[Outline of England]]''
*[[David I as Prince of the Cumbrians|Principality of the Cumbrians]] in 12th century Scotland 
*[[Rose Castle]]

{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cumbria}}
{{Wikivoyage|Cumbria}}
* [https://www.britannica.com/place/Cumbria Cumbria] at the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''

{{Cumbria}}
{{England_counties}}
{{NW_England}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cumbria| ]]
[[Category:Counties of England established in 1974]]
[[Category:Former non-metropolitan counties]]
[[Category:North West England]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the United Kingdom]]