The present invention discloses plural planar Hall-effect sensors each having a magnetic sensing region of an elongated shape, the magnetic sensing regions having plural orientations, wherein, for a ratio of long axis length to short axis length greater than a predetermined number, effective single magnetic domain behavior is exhibited in the sensing region, the sensing having shape-induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with the easy axis parallel to the long axis of the magnetic sensing region; further wherein the magnitude of the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy depends on the ratio of the thickness of the sensing region to the length of the short axis, and method of operating the same to measure plural magnetic field components.