Historic counties of Wales

Anglesey ( ), or ' (), is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the county known in English as the Isle of Anglesey', which also includes Holy Island () and some islets and skerries. The county borders Gwynedd across the Menai Strait to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the Irish Sea. Holyhead is the largest town, and the administrative centre is Llangefni.

Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and administrative headquarters of Pembrokeshire County Council.

Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a county in the west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Aberystwyth is the largest settlement and, together with Aberaeron, is an administrative centre of Ceredigion County Council.

Carmarthenshire ( ; or informally ) is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as the "Garden of Wales" and is also home to the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolition in 1974. It is located in South Wales. Originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying boundaries known in Welsh as Morgannwg (or Glywysing), which was then invaded and taken over by the Normans as the Lordship of Glamorgan. The area that became known as Glamorgan was both a rural, pastoral area, and a conflict point between the Norman lords and the Welsh princes. It was defined by a large concentration of castles.

Montgomeryshire ( , or simply ) was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolition in 1974, later becoming a district of Powys from 1974 to 1996. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, which in turn was named after one of William the Conqueror's main counsellors, Roger de Montgomerie, who was the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury.

Caernarfonshire (; , ), previously spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolition in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales.

Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolition in 1974. It was created in 1536 under the Laws in Wales Act 1535, and from 1889 it was an administrative county with a county council; the administrative county was abolished in 1974. The county was named after the medieval Welsh territory of , which was anglicised to Brecknock and also gave its name to the county town of Brecon. The former county's area is mountainous and primarily rural.

thumb|Map of the district of Powys Radnorshire () was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolition in 1974, later becoming a district of Powys from 1974 to 1996. It covered a sparsely populated area, and was bounded to the north by Montgomeryshire and Shropshire, to the east by Herefordshire, to the south by Brecknockshire and to the west by Cardiganshire.

geographical designations for areas of Wales, based on historical traditions

Merionethshire, or Merioneth ( or ''''), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolition in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales.

historic county in Wales

historic county of Wales

historic county in Wales