County Wicklow (Irish: Contae Chill Mhantáin) is a county on the east coast of the Ireland, immediately south of Dublin. Area: 2,024 km² (781 square miles). The county is bordered by the Irish Sea and the counties of Carlow, Kildare, Wexford and two parts of what was County Dublin, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin. The county is part of the "Greater Dublin Area". Wicklow is known as "The Garden of Ireland" because of its scenery. ------------------------------------------------- The county town is Wicklow (pop. 9,355), although the largest urban centre is Bray (pop. 31,901), on the northern border and effectively a Dublin suburb. Other main towns include Greystones (pop. 11,913) and Arklow (pop. 11,721). All of these towns are situated on the east coast. -------------------------------------- County Wicklow is sometimes known as 'the last county' as it was the last of the original counties to be established - in 1606 from land previously part of County Dublin and County Carlow (which then ran to the sea and included Arklow). Establishment as a distinct county was aimed at controlling local groups such as the O'Byrnes.--------------------The Military Road, stretching from Rathfarnham to Aughavannagh crosses the mountains, north to south, and was built by the British army to assist them in crushing rebels still active in the Wicklow Mountains following the failed 1798 rebellion. It provided them with access to an area that had been a hotbed of Irish rebellion for centuries. Several barracks to house the soldiers were built along the route and the Glencree Reconciliation Centre was built alongside the remains of barracks there. Battalions of the Irish Army use firing ranges in County Wicklow for tactical exercises, especially the largest one in the Glen of Imaal which was previously used by the British Army prior to independence. Wicklow rivers include the Avoca and the Liffey; other natural features include Lough Dan and Lough Tay, and the lakes of Glendalough. The Turlough Hill pumped-storage scheme, a significant civil engineering project, was carried out in the mountains in the 1960s and 1970s. The ancient monastery of Glendalough is located in County Wicklow. The local radio station for Wicklow is East Coast FM.