The former County of Avon was a non-metropolitan county and ceremonial county in the west of England, named after the River Avon, which ran through it. In 1996, the county was abolished and the area split between the Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire unitary local authorities. The Avon area is still used for some purposes (see "Legacy" section), and today has a population of approximately one million people. |