Powys
Powys (; ) is a principal area and county, and one of the preserved counties of Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain.

See the list of places in Powys for all towns and villages in Powys.

Location
Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), and a small part of Denbighshire – an area of 5,179 km² (2,000 sq miles), making it the largest unitary authority in Wales by land area and about the same size as the country of Trinidad and Tobago. It is bounded to the north by Gwynedd, Denbighshire and Wrexham; to the west by Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire; to the east by Shropshire and Herefordshire; and to the south by Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Neath Port Talbot.

Human geography
The majority of the Powys population lives in villages and small towns. The largest towns are Newtown, Ystradgynlais, Brecon, and Welshpool with populations of 11,357, 8,092, 8,250 and 6,664 respectively (2011). Powys has the lowest population density of all the principal areas of Wales. Most of Powys is mountainous making north-south transport difficult.

Just under a third of the residents have Welsh linguistic skills: Welsh speakers are concentrated mainly in the rural areas both in and around Machynlleth, Llanfyllin and Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant (where William Morgan first translated the whole Bible into Welsh in 1588) in Montgomeryshire (), and the industrial area of Ystradgynlais in the southwest of Brecknockshire (). Radnorshire () was almost completely Anglicised by the end of the 18th century. The 2001 census records show 21% of the population of Powys were able to speak Welsh at that time, the same as for the whole of Wales.

History
The county is named after the ancient Welsh Kingdom of Powys, which in the sixth century AD included the northern two thirds of the area as well as most of Shropshire and adjacent areas now in England, and came to an end when it was occupied by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of Gwynedd during the 1260s.

The uplands retain evidence of occupation from long before the Kingdom of Powys, and before the Romans, who built roads and forts across the area. There are 1130 identified burial mounds within the county, of varying styles and ages, dating from 4000BC to 1000BC, most of them belonging to the Bronze Age. Of these, 339 are Scheduled Monuments. Standing stones, most again dating to the Bronze Age, also occur in large numbers, 276 being found across the county, of which 92 are scheduled. From the Iron Age, the county has 90 scheduled Hill forts and a further 54 enclosures and settlement sites.

Heraldry

The gold in the county coat of arms symbolises the wealth of the area. Black is for both mining and the Black Mountains. The fountain is a medieval heraldic charge displayed as a roundel barry wavy Argent and Azure. It represents water, and refers to both the water catchment area and the rivers and lakes. Thus, the arms contain references to the hills and mountains, rivers and lakes, water supply and industry.
The crest continues the colouring of the arms. A tower has been used in preference to a mural crown, which alludes to the county's military history and remains. From the tower rises a red kite, a bird almost extinct elsewhere in Britain but thriving in Powys. The bird is a "semé of black lozenges" for the former coal mining industry while the golden fleece it carries is a reference to the importance of sheep rearing in the county.

The county motto is: Powys – the paradise of Wales ().

Government

On 1 April 1974, Powys was created under the Local Government Act 1972 and originally had Montgomery and Radnor and Brecknock as districts within it, which were based directly on the former administrative counties. On 1 April 1996, the districts were abolished, and Powys was reconstituted as a unitary authority with a minor border adjustment in the northeastspecifically, the addition of the communities of Llansilin and Llangedwyn from Glyndwr district in Clwydand with moving the border, so that rather than half of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, all is included.

The first Lord Lieutenant of Powys was previously the Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire.  The Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire and Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire were appointed as Lieutenants. The present Lord Lieutenant is The Hon. Mrs Elizabeth Shân Legge-Bourke LVO of Crickhowell.

Attractions

 The Black Mountains
 Brecon Beacons
 Radnor Forest
 Y Gaer, Brecon Roman fort
 Battle of Bryn Glas site
 2015 Wales Rally GB

Castles
 Dolforwyn Castle
 Montgomery Castle
 Powis Castle
 Tretower Castle
 Aberedw Castle
 Castell Du
 Bronllys Castle

Lakes, reservoirs and waterfalls
 The Elan Valley Reservoirs
 Lake Vyrnwy
 Llangorse Lake
 Llyn Clywedog
 Pistyll y Llyn – one of the highest waterfalls in Wales
 Pistyll Rhaeadr
 Water-breaks-its-neck – waterfall in Radnor Forest
 Waterfall Country – waterfalls on the upper tributaries of the River Neath

Cave systems
 Ogof Agen Allwedd
 Ogof Craig a Ffynnon
 Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
 Ogof y Daren Cilau

Museums and exhibitions
 Brecknock Museum, Brecon
 Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth
 Llandrindod Wells Museum
 Llanidloes Museum
 Newtown Textile Museum
 Powysland Museum, Welshpool
 The Judge's Lodging, Presteigne
 The Old Bell Museum, Montgomery
 The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown
 The Rhayader Museum & Gallery, Rhayader
 The Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells

Walks
 Glyndŵr's Way – runs for  in an extended loop through Powys between Knighton and Welshpool
 Sarn Sabrina Walk – a  circular walking route from Llanidloeswhich, counting from the source, is the first town on the River Severn ()to the source of the Severn and back
 Severn Way – the Long Distance Walkers Association describes the Severn Way as a  waymarked long-distance trail
 Taff Trail
 Offa's Dyke Path
 Wye Valley Walk – Chepstow to Rhayader – a total of

Railways
 Brecon Mountain Railway (heritage line)
 Cambrian Line (main line)
 Heart of Wales Line (main line)
 Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (heritage line)

Fairtrade
In December 2007, Powys was awarded Fairtrade County status by the Fairtrade Foundation.