PEMBROKESHIRE, a maritime co. of south Wales, and the westernmost co. of the principality, is bounded s. by the Bristol channel, and w. and n. by St. George's chan nel. Area, according to the census of '71, 393,682 statute acres. Pop. '71, 91,936. The river Teivy separates the county on the n.e. from that of Cardigan. On the u. are New port and Fishguard bays, the latter 3 In, in width, from 30 to 70 ft. in depth, and with good anchoring-ground. St. Bride's bay, the widest inlet on the western coast, is 10 m. in width, and has an inland sweep of 7 miles. Milford Haven (q.v.) is the most impor tant estuary. The shores on the s. are wild and inhospitable, and fronted by high pre cipitous cliffs. The surface is undulating; green hills alternate with fertile valleys. The principal elevations occur in the Precelly hills, which traverse time n. of the county from e. to w., and rise in their highest summit to the height of 1754 feet. The rivers of the greatest importance are the Eastern and Western Cleddau, which unite and form a navigable portion of Milford Haven. None of the rivers, of which the Western Cleddan
is the principal, are important. The climate is mild, but damp in the s. of the county; while in the n., the temperature is considerably lower. There are excellent and produc tive soils in the s., and along the n.w. coast the barley districts are famous; but the land on the Precelly mountains and in the coal districts is inferior. Coal, slate, lead, and iron, are the only minerals worked. Oats, barley, and potatoes are the principal crops. Pembrokeshire is chiefly remarkable from the fact that, although the most distant of Welsh counties from England, more than half its surface is inhabited by an English speaking population. This arose from the settlemerit of a colony of Flemings here, and their adoption of the English tongue. The district has hence been called Little England beyond Wales. Pembrokeshire returns one member to parliament. The chief towns are Haverfordwest, St. Davids, Pembroke, and Tenby.