Shropshire (pop. 283,240) is an English county in the western Midlands, on the border with Wales. It is mainly a farming county. But Shropshire was one of the first areas to develop engineering during the Industrial Revolution in the 1700's. Since then, engineering has always been an important industry in Shropshire.
Shropshire has much beautiful countryside. Visitors can also see several ancient castles, built to keep out invaders from Wales. The county was the scene of fierce border fighting between English and Welsh forces for many hundreds of years. Shropshire covers an area of about 1,350 square miles (3,490 square kilometers). Shrewsbury is its administrative center.
