Overview of Old County of East Lothian

A small former county of E Central Scotland, East Lothian (previously Haddingtonshire) had an area of 271 sq. miles (701 sq. km). It was bounded to the N by the Firth of Forth, to the NE by the North Sea, to the W by Midlothian and to the S by Berwickshire and the Lammermuir Hills. The county town was Haddington, with coastal settlements including Prestonpans, Cockenzie, Aberlady, Gullane, North Berwick and Dunbar, while inland are East Linton, Gifford and Tranent. The principal industry was agriculture, with coal-mining having importance in the west. Its principal rivers were the Esk and Tyne. In 1974 the county was incorporated into Lothian Region, before being re-established as a separate entity in 1996.