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Hampshire

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

   CAPTION: Hampshire

   Image:EnglandHampshire.png
   Geography
          Status         Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county
          Region:        South East England
           Area
   - Total
   - Admin. council
   - Admin. area         Ranked 9th
                         3,769 km²
                         Ranked 8th
                         3,679 km²
         Admin HQ:       Winchester
        ISO 3166-2:      GB-HAM
         ONS code:       24
          NUTS 3:        UKJ33
   Demographics
        Population
   - Total (2005 est.)
   - Density
   - Admin. council
   - Admin. pop.         Ranked 5th
                         1,671,000
                         443 / km²
                         Ranked 3rd
                         1,259,400
        Ethnicity:       96.7% White
                         1.3% S. Asian
   Politics
                    Arms of Hampshire County Council
   Hampshire County Council
   http://www.hants.gov.uk/hcc/
         Executive       Conservative
   Members of Parliament
                           * James Arbuthnot
                           * John Denham
                           * Sandra Gidley
                           * Mike Hancock
                           * Mark Hoban
                           * Gerald Howarth
                           * Chris Huhne
                           * Julian Lewis
                           * Michael Mates
                           * Sarah McCarthy-Fry
                           * Maria Miller
                           * Mark Oaten
                           * Desmond Swayne
                           * Peter Viggers
                           * Alan Whitehead
                           * David Willetts
                           * George Young

   Districts

                   Image:Hampshire_Ceremonial_Numbered.png

    1. Gosport
    2. Fareham
    3. Winchester
    4. Havant
    5. East Hampshire
    6. Hart
    7. Rushmoor
    8. Basingstoke and Deane
    9. Test Valley
   10. Eastleigh
   11. New Forest
   12. Southampton (Unitary)
   13. Portsmouth (Unitary)

   Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire,
   (abbr. Hants) is a county on the south coast of England in the United
   Kingdom. The county borders (clockwise from West), Dorset, Wiltshire,
   Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex. The county has an area of 1,455
   square miles (3,769 km²) and at its widest points is approximately 55
   miles (90 km) east-west and 40 miles (65 km) north-south. The county
   town is Winchester situated at 51°03′35″N, 1°18′36″W. The 2001 census
   gave the population of the administrative county as 1.24 million; the
   ceremonial county also includes the cities of Portsmouth and
   Southampton, which are administratively independent, and has a total
   population of 1.6 million. Christchurch and Bournemouth, within the
   historic borders of the county, were made part of the non-metropolitan
   county of Dorset in 1974.

   Hampshire is a popular holiday area, with tourist attractions including
   its many seaside resorts, the maritime area in Portsmouth, and the
   motor museum at Beaulieu. The New Forest National Park lies within the
   borders, as does a large area of the South Downs, which is also
   scheduled to become a National Park. Hampshire has a long maritime
   history and two of England's largest ports lie on its coast. The county
   is famed as home of the writers Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.

Physical geography

   Hampshire's geology falls into two categories. In the south, along the
   coast is the " Hampshire Basin", an area of relatively non-resistant
   Eocene and Oligocene clays and gravels which are protected from sea
   erosion by the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, and the Isle of Wight. These
   low, flat lands support heathland and woodland habitats, a large area
   of which form part of the New Forest. The New Forest has a mosaic of
   heathland, grassland, coniferous and deciduous woodland habitats that
   host diverse wildlife. The forest is protected as a national park,
   limiting development and agricultural use to protect the landscape and
   wildlife. Large areas of the New Forest are open common lands kept as a
   grassland plagioclimax by grazing animals, including domesticated
   cattle, pigs and horses, and several wild deer species. Erosion of the
   weak rock and sea level change flooding the low land has carved several
   large estuaries and rias, notably the 12 mile (19 km) long Southampton
   Water and the large convoluted Portsmouth Harbour. The Isle of Wight
   lies off the coast of Hampshire where the non-resistant rock has been
   eroded away forming the Solent.

   In the north and centre of the county the substrate is the Southern
   England Chalk Formation of Salisbury Plain and the South Downs. These
   are high hills with steep slopes where they border the clays to the
   south. The hills dip steeply forming a scarp onto the Thames valley to
   the north, and dip gently to the south. The highest point in the county
   is Pilot Hill, which reaches the height of 286 m (938 ft). The downland
   supports a calcareous grassland habitat, important for wild flowers and
   insects. In the past Hampshire had little arable agriculture, but in
   the early 20th century the demand for food led to the establishment of
   farms on the downs. A large area of the downs are now protected from
   further agricultural damage by the East Hampshire Area of Outstanding
   Natural Beauty The Itchen and Test are trout rivers that flow from the
   chalk through wooded valleys into Southampton Water. Nestled in a
   valley on the downs is Selborne, and the countryside surrounding the
   village was the location of Gilbert White's pioneering observations on
   natural history.

   Hampshire has a milder climate than most areas of the British Isles,
   being in the far south with the climate stabilising effect of the sea,
   but protected against the more extreme weather of the Atlantic coast.
   Hampshire has a higher average annual temperature than the UK average
   at 9.8 °C to 12 ° C, average rainfall at 741–1060 mm per year, and
   higher than average sunshine at over 1541 hours per year.

History

   The chalk downland of the South Downs and southern edges of Salisbury
   Plain were settled in the neolithic, and these settlers built hill
   forts such as Winklebury and may have farmed the valleys of Hampshire.
   Hampshire was part of an area named Gwent or Y Went by the Celts, which
   also covered areas of Somerset and Wiltshire. In the Roman invasion of
   Britain, Hampshire was one of the first areas to fall to the invading
   forces. The county was occupied by Jutish tribes until Saxon times.
   Hampshire was one of the first Saxon shires, recorded in 755, but for
   two centuries represented the western end of Saxon England, as advances
   into Dorset and Somerset were fought off by the Britons. After the
   Saxons advanced west Hampshire became the centre of the Kingdom of
   Wessex, and many Saxon kings are buried at Winchester. A statue in
   Winchester celebrates the powerful King Alfred, who stabilised the
   region in the 9th century.

   After the Norman Conquest the county was favoured by Norman kings who
   established the New Forest as a hunting forest. The county was recorded
   in the Domesday Book divided into 44 hundreds. From the 12th century
   the ports grew in importance, fuelled by trade with the continent, wool
   and cloth manufacture in the county, and the fishing industry, and a
   shipbuilding industry was established.

   Over several centuries a series of castles and forts were constructed
   along the coast of the Solent to defend the harbours at Southampton and
   Portsmouth. These include the Norman Portchester Castle which overlooks
   Portsmouth Harbour, and a series of forts built by Henry VIII including
   Hurst Castle, situated on a sand spit at the mouth of the Solent,
   Calshot Castle on another spit at the mouth of Southampton Water, and
   Netley Castle. Southampton and Portsmouth remained important harbours
   when rivals, such as Poole and Bristol declined, as they are amongst
   the few locations that combine shelter with deep water. Southampton has
   been host to many famous ships, including the Mayflower and the
   Titanic, the latter being staffed largely by Hampshire natives.

   Hampshire played a large role in World War II due to its large Royal
   Navy harbour at Portsmouth, the army camp at Aldershot and the military
   Netley Hospital on Southampton Water, as well as its proximity to the
   army training ranges on Salisbury Plain and Purbeck. Supermarine, the
   designers of the Spitfire and other military aircraft, were based in
   Southampton, which led to severe bombing of the city. Aldershot remains
   one of the British Army's main permanent camps.
   Southampton from Netley Hospital.
   Enlarge
   Southampton from Netley Hospital.

   The county has in the past been called "Southamptonshire" and appears
   as such on some Victorian maps. The name of the administrative county
   was changed from 'County of Southampton' to 'County of Hampshire' on
   April 1, 1959. The short form of the name, often used in postal
   addresses, is Hants. Hampshire is often abbreviated in written form to
   Hants and which sometimes gives rise to puzzlement. The abbreviated
   form is derived from the Old English Hantum plus Scir (meaning a
   district governed from the settlement now known as Southampton) and the
   Anglo-Saxons called it Hamtunschire. At the time of the Domesday Book
   (1086) this was compressed to Hantescire.

   The Isle of Wight has traditionally been treated as part of Hampshire
   for some purposes, but has been administratively independent for over a
   century, obtaining a county council of its own in 1890. The Isle of
   Wight became a full ceremonial county in 1974. Apart from a shared
   police force and health authority there are now no formal
   administrative links between the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, though
   many organisations still combine Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

   The towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch also fall within the
   traditional county of Hampshire, but were ceded to Dorset in the local
   government reorganisation of 1974.

Economy

   The Beaulieu River.
   Enlarge
   The Beaulieu River.

   Hampshire is a relatively affluent county, with a Gross domestic
   product (GDP) of £22.9 billion (£16.3 billion when excluding
   Southampton and Portsmouth). This makes it the sixth largest economy in
   England, and is equal in size to the economy of Northern Ireland,
   making up 2% each of the economy of the UK as a whole.

   Portsmouth and Winchester have the highest job densities in the county,
   and there is therefore a high level of commuting into the cities.
   Southampton has the highest number of total jobs and commuting both
   into and out of the city is high. The county has a lower level of
   unemployment than the national average, at 1.9% when the national rate
   was 3.3%, and as of March 2005 has fallen to 1.1%. 39% are employed by
   large firms, compared to a national average of 42%. Hampshire has a
   considerably higher than national average employment in high-tech
   industries, but average levels in knowledge based industry. 25.21% of
   the population work in the public sector.

   Many rural areas of Hampshire have traditionally been reliant on
   agriculture, though the county was less agricultural than most
   surrounding counties, and was mostly concentrated on dairy farming. The
   significance of agriculture as an employer and wealth creator has
   declined since the first half of the 20th century and agriculture
   currently employs 1.32% of the population. The county has a long
   association with wild boar, and the domesticated Hampshire hog breed of
   pig, from which bacon is produced.

   The New Forest area is a National Park, and tourism is a significant
   economic segment in this area, with 7.5 million visitors in 1992. The
   South Downs and the cities of Southampton and Winchester also attract
   tourists to the county. Southampton Boat Show is one of the biggest
   annual events held in the county, and attracts visitors from throughout
   the country. In 2003 the county had a total of 31 million day visits,
   and 4.2 million longer stays.

   The cities of Southampton and Portsmouth are both significant ports,
   with Southampton handling a large proportion of the national container
   freight and Portsmouth housing a large Royal Navy base. The docks have
   traditionally been large employers in these cities, though again
   mechanisation has forced diversification of the economy.

Demographics

   Southampton Docks.
   Enlarge
   Southampton Docks.

   At the Census 2001 the ceremonial county recorded a population of
   1,644,249, of which 1,240,103 were in the administrative county,
   217,445 were in the unitary authority of Southampton, and 186,701 were
   in Portsmouth. The population of the administrative county grew 5.6%
   from the 1991 census, Southampton grew 6.2% while Portsmouth remained
   unchanged, compared with 2.6% for England and Wales as a whole.
   Eastleigh and Winchester grew fastest at 9% each. The age structure of
   the population is similar to the national average.

   96.73% of residents were indigenous, falling to 92.37% in Southampton.
   The significant ethnic minorities are Asian at 1.34% and mixed race at
   0.84%. 0.75% of residents were migrants from outside the UK. 73.86%
   stated their religion as Christianity and 16.86% were not religious.
   Significant minority religions were Islam (0.76%) and Hinduism (0.33%).

Politics

   Hampshire is divided into seventeen parliamentary constituencies. Ten
   of these are represented by Conservative MPs, four by the Liberal
   Democrats and three by Labour. Labour represent the large cities,
   including both Southampton constituencies ( Test and Itchen) and
   Portsmouth North. The Conservatives represent the most rural
   constituencies, Aldershot, New Forest West, New Forest East, Hampshire
   North West, Basingstoke, Hampshire North East, Hampshire East, Havant,
   Gosport and Fareham. The Liberal Democrats represent Winchester,
   Romsey, Portsmouth South and Eastleigh, all centred around towns.

   At the 2005 local elections for Hampshire County Council the
   Conservative Party had a 43.69% share of the votes, the Liberal
   Democrats had 36.01% and Labour 16.08%. Therefore 46 Conservatives, 28
   Liberal Democrats and four Labour councillors sit on the County
   Council. Southampton City Council, which is entirely independent, has
   18 Liberal Democrat, 15 Labour and 15 Conservative councillors.
   Portsmouth City Council, also independent, has 20 Liberal Democrat, 18
   Conservative, seven Labour and one independent councillor.

Cities, towns, and villages

   New apartment blocks in the rapidly changing Basingstoke.
   Enlarge
   New apartment blocks in the rapidly changing Basingstoke.

   Hampshire's county town is Winchester, a historic city that was once
   the capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex. The port cities of
   Southampton and Portsmouth were split off as independent unitary
   authorities in 1997, although they are still included in Hampshire for
   ceremonial purposes. Fareham, Gosport and Havant have grown into a
   conurbation that stretches along the coast between the two main cities.
   The three cities are all university cities, Southampton being home to
   the University of Southampton and Southampton Solent University
   (formerly Southampton Institute), Portsmouth to the University of
   Portsmouth, and Winchester to the University of Winchester (formerly
   known as University College Winchester; King Alfred's College).

   Hampshire lies outside the green belt area of restricted development
   around London, but has good railway and motorway links to the capital,
   and in common with the rest of the south-east has seen the growth of
   dormitory towns since the 1960s. Basingstoke, in the north of the
   county, has grown from a country town into a business and finance
   centre. Aldershot, Portsmouth, and Farnborough have strong military
   associations with the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force
   respectively. The county also includes several market towns: Alton,
   Andover, Bishop's Waltham, Lymington, Petersfield, Ringwood, Romsey,
   and Whitchurch.

   Towns by population size: (2004 est.)
     * Southampton - 221,100
     * Portsmouth - 188,700
     * Basingstoke - 152,573
     * Eastleigh - 116,177
     * Havant - 115,300
     * Fareham - 107,977
     * Winchester - 35,200

Culture, arts and sport

   Winchester Cathedral.
   Enlarge
   Winchester Cathedral.

   Due to Hampshire's long association with pigs and boars, natives of the
   county have been known as Hampshire hogs since the 18th century.
   Hampshire has literary connections, being the birthplace of authors
   including Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, and the residence of others,
   such as Charles Kingsley. Austen lived most of her life in Hampshire,
   where her father was rector of Steventon, and wrote all of her novels
   in the county. Hampshire also has many visual art connections, claiming
   the painter John Everett Millais as a native, and the cities and
   countryside have been the subject of paintings by L. S. Lowry and J. M.
   W. Turner. Hampshire is also the birthplace of explorer Lawrence Oates,
   and entertainers Benny Hill and Craig David.

   Hampshire's relatively safe waters have allowed the county to develop
   as one of the busiest sailing areas in the country, with many yacht
   clubs and several manufacturers on the Solent. The sport cricket was
   largely developed in south-east England, with one of the first teams
   forming at Hambledon in 1750. Hampshire County Cricket Club today is a
   successful first-class team, captained by Shane Warne. Hampshire has
   several association football teams, the most successful being Premier
   League side Portsmouth F.C. and Championship side Southampton F.C.,
   which have traditionally been fierce rivals.

   Hampshire's county flower is the Dog Rose according to the British
   charity Plantlife.

Transport

   There is an international airport with its own rail station situated
   between Southampton and Eastleigh, Southampton Airport, and
   cross-channel ferries link the county to the Isle of Wight and European
   continent. The South Western Main Line railway from London to Weymouth
   runs through Winchester and Southampton, and the Wessex Main Line from
   Bristol to Portsmouth also runs through the county. The M3 motorway
   connects the county to London. The construction of the Twyford Down
   cutting near Winchester caused major controversy by cutting through a
   series of ancient trackways (the Dongas) and other features of
   archeeological significance. The M27 motorway serves a bypass for the
   major conurbations and as a link to other settlements on the south
   coast. Other important roads include the A3, A31 and A36.

   The county has a high level of car ownership, with 15.7% having no
   access to a private car compared to 26.8% for England and Wales. The
   county has a lower than average use of trains (3.2% compared to 4.1%
   for commuting) and buses (3.2% to 7.4%) but a higher than average use
   of bicycles (3.5% to 2.7%) and cars (63.5% to 55.3%).

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampshire"
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