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Wiltshire is a predominantly rural county in the south-west of England. It has a population of 433,000, nearly half of whom live in towns or villages with fewer than 5,000 people. A quarter of the county's inhabitants live in settlements of fewer than 1,000 people. Wiltshire has a rich and unique heritage - inside the county boundaries are the world heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury, and about 20,000 sites of archaeological or wildlife interest. About three quarters of the land in the county is protected as an area of outstanding natural beauty, special landscape or green belt. Salisbury Plain, the largest remaining expanse of chalk grassland in England, divides the county from north to south. The unemployment rate in Wiltshire is well below the national average at 1.2%, compared to the national average of 3.5%. The armed forces have a significant presence, particularly in the south of the county. Major civilian employers include Airpsrung Beds (Trowbridge), Avon Automobile Components (Melksham), Bowyers (Trowbridge), Virgin Mobile (Trowbridge) and Westinghouse Signals (Chippenham). Wiltshire County Council is Wiltshire's biggest civilian employer, with about 7,000 staff working across the county.
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