North Yorkshire is a Shire county within the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. It is divided into the districts of Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.
Contained within its boundaries are the North York Moors and most of the Yorkshire Dales, two of eleven areas of countryside within England and Wales to be officially designated as a National park. The highest point of the county is Whernside, on the Cumbrian border, at 736m/2414ft.
The county was formed in 1974, and covers most of the lands of the traditional North Riding, as well as the northern half of the West Riding and the northern and eastern fringes of the traditional East Riding. York became a unitary authority independent of North Yorkshire on April 1, 1996, and at the same time Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and areas of Stockton-on-Tees south of the river became part of North Yorkshire for ceremonial purposes, having been part of Cleveland from 1974 to 1996, and the North Riding before.
