Hampshire
Hampshire, officially the County of Southampton, is a county on the south-coast of England. It has a population of around 2 million.
The largest settlement is Southampton (pop. 250,000), which is also the county's namesake. The county town is the ancient cathedral city of Winchester, which served as the capital of Wessex and, prior to the early 12th century, its successor the Kingdom of England. Other notable towns include Bournemouth, Christchurch and Portsmouth. The Isle of Wight also forms a part of the county.
Much of England's newest National Park, the New Forest, lies within the West of the county and is an important site for biodiversity, being one of England's last remaining areas of extensive heath and oak forest. Wild horses, called New Forest Ponies, are found in this area.
For statistical purposes, much of the county forms a part of South East England. However, the Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch are under the BCP council area, and thus part of South West England.
The state of New Hampshire was named after this English county.
Administration
As of 2024, much of the county's area is covered by Hampshire County Council, although this also covers areas of the counties Dorset and Wiltshire. Portsmouth City Council covers the peninsula on which that city is located, and Southampton City Council covers the area around the city in question. The part of the town Tidworth in historic Hampshire is covered by Wiltshire County Council. Bournemouth and Christchurch are grouped in their council area with Poole in Dorset.
