County Londonderry

County Londonderry or County Derry (: Contae Dhoire) is one of the six of  in the  of  in. It was named after its main town – and later city and administrative centre – (Londonderry), which lies in the north-western corner of the county.

The highest point in the county is the summit of (678m) on the border with. Sawel is part of the, which dominate the southern part of the county. To the east and west, the land falls into the valleys of the and  rivers respectively; the north of the county is distinguished by the steep cliffs, dune systems and remarkable beaches of the Atlantic coast.

The county is home to a number of important buildings and landscapes: these include the excellently preserved seventeenth-century city walls of ; the fine National Trust Plantation house and estate at ; the with its spectacular views of the ; the dykes, artificial coastlines and internationally important bird sanctuaries on the eastern shore of ; and the visitor centre at  Bawn, close to the childhood home of Nobel laureate.

The is the.

Name
As with the town, its name is subject to the, with the form Derry preferred by and Londonderry preferred by. The name Derry is usually used in the, it also has a mixed usage in Northern Ireland, depending on the source; while most of the British authorities prefer to use the name Londonderry.

History
Unlike the town, historically there was not a preceding County Derry: it was established in by combining the former  with small parts of Counties, , and  at the behest of the London  and the  (hence, London-Derry) so that they could control both banks of the mouths of the  and the  and have access to sufficient wood for construction. The county town was.

Administration
Since, administration has been divided between. The councils covering the county are, , , and ; and part of , which is largely in.

Education
Government-funded education up to level is administered by For Catholic grant-maintained schools administration is by the.
 * Derry, Limavady
 * Coleraine, Magherafelt
 * Cookstown

Two major centres of the are in the county, including its headquarters at  and the  in Derry.

Sport
In the, the county teams wear the colours red and white. There are many club teams competing in up to five leagues and three championships.

In, County Londonderry/Derry is represented in the Irish Premier League by , and. and compete in Division One. play in the top division in the Eircom Ireland league.

In, the county is represented at senior level by and. , and  compete in the qualifying leagues.

Media
broadcasts to much of the north and east of the county and is based in.

The county currently has four main radio stations
 * (in the south of the county)
 * Highland Radio, a station based in Letterkenny, County Donegal. It has a huge listenership in Derry City and West Tyrone.
 * (in the south of the county)
 * Highland Radio, a station based in Letterkenny, County Donegal. It has a huge listenership in Derry City and West Tyrone.
 * Highland Radio, a station based in Letterkenny, County Donegal. It has a huge listenership in Derry City and West Tyrone.