County (pop., 2001: 126,344), east-central Wales.
The county seat is at Llandridod Wells . It is named after the Welsh princedom of Powys, located in the border country between Wales and England. At its most powerful in the 12th century, the princedom was unable to gain ascendancy in Wales because it was so close to the border area where the cultures of Wales and England intermingled. Main elements in the landscape are the valley lowlands leading to Shrewsbury and Hereford. There are remains of Iron Age and Roman settlements.