A magnetic sensor has a magnetoresistive strip including a plurality of magnetoresistive elements arranged in the y-direction through a plurality of hard magnetic members and ferromagnetic films arranged in the x-direction through a magnetic gap. The magnetoresistive strip is disposed around a magnetic gap. One end of the magnetoresistive strip in the y-direction is connected to a terminal electrode not through another magnetoresistive element applied with another magnetic field to be detected, and the other end thereof in the y-direction is connected to a terminal electrode not through another magnetoresistive element applied with the magnetic field to be detected. The magnetoresistive strip S thus has a linear shape not having a folded structure, so that the relation between the direction of a magnetic bias and the direction of flow of current becomes constant over all the sections of the magnetoresistive strip.