Powys is a county in east-central Wales that shares a border with England. Powys is Wales’ biggest county by far. It includes the majority of the Brecon Beacons National Park, as well as the entire ancient counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, the majority of Brecknockshire, and the southern edge of Denbighshire. The county’s administrative centre is Llandrindod Wells. The county is named after the Welsh princedom of Powys, which was at its peak in the 12th century but was unable to establish dominance in Wales due to its position in the Marches (border country). Mountains and rich river valleys, such as the Severn valley (Vale of Powys) and the Wye valley, reach east and west over the border, fusing the cultures of Wales and England. The valleys’ concentration of connectivity has established ties with England, particularly with the downstream market towns of Shrewsbury and Hereford. Few people speak Welsh in the county’s eastern section, although it is widely spoken around its western border. The main characteristics in the landscape are the valley bottoms, the highlands (typified by Radnor Forest, the Black and Berwyn mountains, and the Brecon Beacons), and the intermediate plateaus.