What is Riding (division)?
In the [[United Kingdom]], a '''riding''' is a division of certain large historic [[county|counties]]. It is usually one of three parts; the word itself comes from Old English ''trithing'' (itself from Old Norse ''thrithjungr'') which means 'third part'. Several counties are divided into ridings, but are usually governed by a council bearing the same name as the county. However, the ridings of [[Yorkshire]] are so large that each riding was given its own county council. Thus there were county councils for the [[East Riding of Yorkshire|East Riding]], the [[North Riding of Yorkshire|North Riding]] and the [[West Riding of Yorkshire|West Riding]]. In 1974 when all the administrative counties of [[England]] and [[Wales]] were reorganised, these councils were replaced by six new ones within Yorkshire (either wholly or in part) called [[North Yorkshire]], [[South Yorkshire]], [[West Yorkshire]], [[Cleveland]], [[Durham]] and [[Humberside]]. In [[Canada]], a riding is a [[Federation|federal]] [[constituency]], or ''electoral division'' as they are known in Canada. {{politics-stub}} [[Category:Counties of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Canadian electoral districts| ]]