North Yorkshire includes the districts of Craven, Scarborough, Ryedale, Hambleton, Richmondshire, Selby and Harrogate as well as the unitary authority of York, and about 700 parishes.
According to the North Yorkshire Council, over half a million people live in the 3200 square miles of North Yorkshire. The rest is mostly countryside or national park - North Yorkshire is home to two of these; the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales. There are two cathederal cities - York and Ripon, and a number of towns, including Northallerton, the county town, Harrogate and Scarborough, plus numerous small villages and hamlets. Until the boundary changes of 1997 North Yorkshire was the UK's largest single county.
