Somerset is a county in southwest England, bounded on the north by the Bristol Channel, on the northeast by Gloucestershire, on the east by Wiltshire, on the southeast by Dorset, and on the southwest and west by Devon. The area is 1616 square miles.
The region is a basin surrounded by several short ranges. In the southwest is part of the old forest of Selwood. The Bristol Avon, the Parret, and the Exe are the chief rivers.
The county is largely agricultural. The Cheddar cheese of the county is well known.
The principal towns are Bath, Bridgwater, Taunton, Wells, Weston-super-mare, and Yeovil. Part of the port of Bristol lies on the Somerset side of the Devon.
