North Yorkshire, county (1991 pop. 698,800), 3,209 sq mi (8,313 sq km), N England. The county comprises the districts of Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby, and York. North Yorkshire consists of two upland areas: the Pennines Pennines (pĕn`īnz) or Pennine Chain, mountain range, sometimes called the "backbone of England," extending c.
..... Click the link for more information. and deep valleys engulf the western regions, while in the east are limestone and sandstone. The above terrain is separated by the Vale of York, a lower land consisting of clay soil. The economy is mainly agricultural. Sheep are raised on the upland hills. There is also some light industry, such as food processing and light engineering. The area was occupied by the Roman military until the 7th cent. York flourished under the Anglians in the 8th cent. until invasions led to occupation by Scandanavians. William I the Conqueror destroyed many settlements there. During the Middle Ages the county was governed by wealthy landowners. It was later ravaged during the 15th cent. (see Roses, Wars of the Roses, Wars of the, traditional name given to the intermittent struggle (1455–85) for the throne of England between the noble houses of York (whose badge was a white rose) and Lancaster (later associated with the red rose).
..... Click the link for more information. ) and in the mid-17th-century English civil war. Many castle ruins remain. The Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors national parks located within the county attract a growing number of tourists.

North Yorkshire

Administrative (pop., 2001: 569,660) and geographic county, part of the historic county of Yorkshire, northern England. Its administrative seat is Northallerton. Prehistoric sites show evidence of a military Roman occupation. In the Middle Ages it was a peripheral region of England with numerous castles of the great landowning families. Monastic orders, including the Cistercians, grew wealthy from sheep farming. The area played a significant part in the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil Wars. The modern economy is mainly agricultural.