Essex
Essex is a county located to the north-east of London in the East of England region. Major towns and cities in Essex include Colchester, Chelmsford, Basildon, Harlow, Romford and Southend. Much of Essex is agricultural land, but the south has a concentration of industries including electronics, life science, pharmaceuticals, engineering and services. Thanks to its close proximity to London and Cambridge Essex has been able to develop as a high-tech cluster for research and development in industry sectors including Life Sciences, healthcare and renewable energies. As home to both Stansted and Southend airports as well the ports of Tilbury, Harwich and the UK’s largest container terminal in Thurrock, the Logistics industry is also a major employer in Essex.
Essex has 350 miles of coastline with windswept saltmarshes and tidal inlets which are rich in wildlife in contrast to traditional seaside resorts with piers at Southend and Clacton. Other popular visitor attractions in Essex include Colchester with its Roman remains, castle and zoo, numerous National Trust houses and gardens and Lakeside shopping centre.
Famous people born in Essex: Jamie Oliver, TV chef and Russel Brand, comedian