County Durham is a ceremonial county and (smaller) unitary district in North East England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county (in its own unitary borough) is Darlington. The county has a mixture of mining and farming heritage, as well as a heavy railway industry, particularly in the southeast of the county in Darlington, Shildon and Stockton. Its economy was historically based on coal and iron mining. It is an area of regeneration and promoted as a tourist destination.

The ceremonial county borders Tyne and Wear, Cumbria, Northumberland and North Yorkshire, forming part of the North East England region.