Herefordshire (; abbreviated Herefs. or Hfds.) is a historic English county in the West Midlands. It is a ceremonial county and a unitary non-metropolitan county and district, also named in legislation as the County of Herefordshire and governed by Herefordshire Council. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh preserved counties of Gwent to the south-west and Powys to the west. The Welsh unitary county covering the part of Gwent next to Herefordshire is Monmouthshire.