The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is a roughly triangular area bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.
The area is characterised by over 110 square kilometers (42.5 sq mi) of mixed woodland, one of the surviving ancient woodlands in England. A large area was reserved for royal hunting before 1066, and remained as one of the largest Crown forests in England, the largest after the New Forest. Although the name is often used loosely to refer to that part of Gloucestershire between the Severn and Wye, the Forest of Dean proper has covered a much smaller area since mediaeval times. In 1327 it was defined to cover only the royal demesne and parts of parishes within the hundred of St Briavels, and after 1668 the Forest comprised the royal demesne only. This area is now within the civil parishes of West Dean, Lydbrook, Cinderford, Ruspidge, and Drybrook.
Traditionally the main sources of work in the area have been forestry – including charcoal production - iron working and coal mining. Evidence shows that the area was extensively mined for coal from about 8000 BC to 1965 AD.
The area gives its name to the local government district, Forest of Dean, and a Parliamentary constituency. The administrative centre is Coleford which is also one of the main towns in the area, together with Cinderford, Lydney and Newent.
Source: CIA Factbook, Wikipedia
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