Abingdon is the administrative centre of the Vale of White Horse. The divisions are its wards. (Press map to expand. The Abingdon wards are the blue area.)

The vale takes its name from an ancient chalk figure scoured into the Berkshire Downs some way from Abingdon, near Uffington.
The horse is an elongated figure. From the White Horse hill itself, only lines can be seen, and not the whole. Experts think it is one of the earliest chalk figures.

It is best seen from the railway line about four miles away, or from the air. The horse is designed to be seen from a distance.

A schematic white horse appears all round Abingdon, at play parks, on rubbish and recycle bins, at district council buildings…

One entry sign into Abingdon, the one over the Thames, is also the entry point from South Oxfordshire into the Vale. On a clear day the White Horse can be seen from many places in the Vale but not quite from Abingdon.
The Vale is just one district of five in Oxfordshire. There are: Cherwell, Oxford City, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and West Oxfordshire.

The Oxfordshire county administrative centre is in Oxford.

Oxfordshire with the Oxford ox (seen here on the side of the X3 bus) are celebrating 1000 yearsof history in Oxfordshire 2007. Abingdon was part of Berkshire until 1974 and so is celebrating only 33 years of Oxfordshire history during Oxfordshire 2007.

(thanks to the boundary commission for the first map)