Penwith
Penwith ( Cornish: Pennwydh ) was, until March 31, 2009, a District of the county of Cornwall in England. The name was derived from the Cornish words 'pen ' ( headland ) and ' wyth ' ( at the end). He thus refers to the southwestern tip of the island of Great Britain.
Administrative headquarters was the town of Penzance. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 and evolved from the merger of Penzance and St. Ives boroughs, St Just and the Urban District of West Penwith Rural District. On 1 April 2009, in addition Penwith all other Districts in Cornwall were abolished and combined into a single unitary authority.
Since 1974, Penwith maintains a partnership with the German city of Cuxhaven.
Geography
The coastal landscape of Penwith is dominated by the steep cliffs that consist mainly of granite and slate, and the fine beaches that lie between. Inland, a thin layer of soil covering the hills of granite.
In the numerous hollows and valleys can, favored by the mild climate, subtropical plants and trees grow. In the Morrab Gardens of Penzance for example even grow bananas. Three kilometers west of Penzance is the only reservoir of Penwith, the drift reservoir.
Apart from the south of the former districts, the majority of the land mass was about 100 m above sea level. NN. In the near Land 's End, the most westerly point of England has already been mined copper and tin in pre-Roman times. Numerous ruins still bear witness of the time.
Significant places in the former District are Carbis Bay, Hayle, Lelant, Mousehole, Pendeen, Penzance, St Buryan, St Ives, St Just in Penwith and Zennor.
History
In the area of Penwith is a high density of archaeological sites. Known sites are Chun Quoit, Lanyon Quoit, or the Merry Maidens. The Iron Age and Romano- British period Fogous are numerous concerning. Fogous are Iron Age systems that found in similar form in the British Isles, including Ireland, and are generally considered the basement.
Population
Of the 64,000 people living in Penwith 96.4 % were born in the UK. 72 % of the population belong to the Christian, while 18% belong to any faith. Penwith has 13.4 %, the sixth highest divorce rate in England and Wales and a correspondingly low percentage of married couples. Furthermore, the relatively high unemployment and medical care in comparison to other districts is worse.
Economy
Penwith it in economic terms, in the already economically ailing county of Cornwall, harder than other districts. Reasons for this are the poor school education of the rural population and the high rate of youth unemployment. Traditionally, the economy of the region is based on the mining and fishing. Since the majority of the mines were closed in the last few decades, unemployment rose sharply.
Through the newly created jobs in the growing tourism industry, unemployment hardly declined since the majority of the population there is a job only during the season.
Mining
The tin mining was once playing in Penwith an important economic role. Many mines in the mining district St Just like the Levant Mine or the Botallack mine located in the district. During the 19th and 20th century, the first resources were already exhausted. With the collapse of the global Zinnkartells the end of this industry was sealed. At Cape Cornwall chimneys as a monument stands at this time, since 2006 is the St Just Mining District as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under special protection.
The both last mine in Penwith in Cornwall and was Geevor. Today, it is, like the Levant Mine a cultural monument and museum. Especially the places St Just and Pendeen have suffered from the collapse of the mining industry and the resulting unemployment.
Fishing
The fishing is still an important source of income of Penwith. In Newlyn is the largest deep-sea fishing port in England. He earned in 2004 about 18 million pounds and thus about two percent of the regional gross domestic product. The trawlers of the port are compared to the Spanish and French factory vessels smaller, with whom they share their fishing grounds. The foreign fishing fleets are also accused of the sea to fish illegally and be a cause of friction in the local fishery. Until the 1960s large catches of sardines in Newlyn were made that were processed there immediately. For several years, sardines are fished again propagated and sold to the Southern European countries.
Agriculture
Due to the reduction in the contribution support for agriculture through the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU, many farmers are in Penwith under financial pressure. The foot and mouth disease in 2001, and the pressure of the supermarket chains made some farmers to create. Agriculture depends mainly on dairy products as well as of individual crops, such as potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. Due to the mild climate of Cornwall potatoes and cereals can be harvested earlier.
Tourism
Popular places points in Penwith are the Minack Theatre, the South West Coast Path and Land's End. In addition, the historic country houses, the beach is Sennen Cove and archaeological sites are often visited by the tourists. The total population in the district, 19% of households by tourism.
Traffic
The westernmost point in the country and as a small peninsula Penwith is a little bit of England isolated. The most important link is the A30 trunk road which leads from London to Land's End. The two railway lines St Ives Bay Line and Cornish Main Line are important compounds in the east. In Penzance launch helicopters and ferries to the Isles of Scilly, which lie 45 km southwest of Penwith.