Hertfordshire ( HART-fərd-sheer or -⁠shər; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Watford, and the county town is Hertford. The county has an area of 634 square miles (1,640 km2) and had a population of 1,198,800 at the 2021 census. After Watford (131,325), the largest settlements are Hemel Hempsted (95,985), Stevenage (94,470), and the city of St Albans (75,540). For local government purposes Hertfordshire is a non-metropolitan county with ten districts. Elevations are higher in the north and west, reaching more than 800 feet (240 m) in the Chilterns near Tring. The county centres on the headwaters and upper valleys of the rivers Lea and the Colne; both flow south, and each is accompanied by a canal. Hertfordshire's undeveloped land is mainly agricultural, and much of the county is covered by the Metropolitan green belt. Since 1903 Letchworth has served as the prototype garden city; Stevenage became the first town to expand under post-war Britain's New Towns Act 1946. Services have become the largest sector of the county's economy. Source: Wikipedia (en)