Hampshire 13861 225965833 2008-07-16T06:27:27Z AlexiusHoratius 2306142 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/12.213.80.57|12.213.80.57]] ([[User talk:12.213.80.57|talk]]) to last version by ClueBot {{otheruses}} {| class="toccolours" style="border-collapse: collapse; float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="300" |+ <big>'''Hampshire'''</big> |- | colspan=2 style="text-align: center; background: white;" | [[Image:EnglandHampshire.png]] |- | colspan=2 style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;" | Geography |- ! width="45%" | Status ||[[Ceremonial counties of England|Ceremonial]] & (smaller) [[Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England|Non-metropolitan]] county |- !Region: |[[South East England]] |- ! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Surface area|Area]]'''<br />- Total<br />- Admin. council<br />- Admin. area |[[List of Ceremonial counties of England by Area|Ranked 9th]]<br />3,769 [[square kilometre|km²]]<br />[[List of Administrative shire counties of England by Area|Ranked 8th]]<br />3,679 km² |- !Admin HQ: |[[Winchester]] |- ![[ISO 3166-2:GB|ISO 3166-2]]: |GB-HAM |- ![[ONS coding system|ONS code]]: |24 |- ![[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS]] 3: |UKJ33 |- | colspan=2 style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;" " | Demographics |- ! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Population]]'''<br />- Total ({{English statistics year}})<br />- [[Density]]<br />- Admin. council<br />- Admin. pop. |[[List of ceremonial counties of England by population|Ranked {{English cerem counties|RNK=Hampshire}}]]<br />{{English cerem counties|POP=Hampshire}}<br />{{English cerem counties|DEN=Hampshire}} / km²<br />[[List of non-metropolitan counties of England by population|Ranked {{English admin counties|RNK=Hampshire}}]]<br />{{English admin counties|POP=Hampshire}} |- !Ethnicity: |96.7% White<br />1.3% S. Asian <br />0.8% Mixed <br /> 1.2% Other |- | colspan=2 style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;" " | Politics |- |colspan=2 align=center|Hampshire County Council<br />http://www.hants.gov.uk/hcc/ |- !Executive |{{English county control|CTY=Hampshire}} |- ! [[MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005|Members of Parliament]] | * [[James Arbuthnot]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[John Yorke Denham|John Denham]] [[Labour Party (UK)|(L)]] * [[Sandra Gidley]] [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|(LD)]] * [[Mike Hancock (UK politician)|Mike Hancock]] [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|(LD)]] * [[Mark Hoban]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[Gerald Howarth]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[Chris Huhne]] [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|(LD)]] * [[Julian Lewis]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[Michael Mates]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[Sarah McCarthy-Fry]] [[Labour Party (UK)|(L)]]/[[Co-operative Party|(Co-op)]] * [[Maria Miller]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[Mark Oaten]] [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|(LD)]] * [[Desmond Swayne]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[Peter Viggers]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[Alan Whitehead]] [[Labour Party (UK)|(L)]] * [[David Willetts]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] * [[George Young (politician)|Kevin Remmele]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] |- | colspan=2 style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;" " | Districts |- |colspan=2|<center>[[Image:Hampshire Ceremonial Numbered.png]]</center> #[[Gosport]] #[[Fareham (borough)|Fareham]] #[[City of Winchester|Winchester]] #[[Havant]] #[[East Hampshire]] #[[Hart, Hampshire|Hart]] #[[Rushmoor]] #[[Basingstoke and Deane]] #[[Test Valley]] #[[Eastleigh (borough)|Eastleigh]] #[[New Forest (district)|New Forest]] #[[Southampton]] (Unitary) #[[Portsmouth]] (Unitary) |} '''Hampshire''' ({{pronEng|'hæmpʃɪə}}, {{Audio|En-uk-Hampshire.ogg|listen}}), sometimes historically '''Southamptonshire'''<ref name='grant'>{{cite book | last = Grant | first = Russell | authorlink = Russell Grant | coauthors = | title = The Real Counties of Britain | publisher = Lennard Publishing | date = 1989 | location = Oxford | pages = p.61 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 1-85291-071-2 }}</ref>, '''Hamptonshire'''<ref>{{cite book | last = Cox | first = Thomas | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = [[Magna Britannia|Magna Britannia, Antiqua et Nova, A Survey of England, wherein to Camden's Topographical Account is added a more large History of Cities, Towns, Boroughs, Parishes and Places]] | publisher = | date = 1738 | location = | pages = | url = http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/hantsgaz/hantsgaz/hgandx_f.htm | doi = | id = | isbn = }}</ref>, (abbr. ''Hants''), or the '''County of Southampton''',<ref>[[1911 Encyclopædia Britannica|Encyclopædia Britannica]], 1911. "[http://59.1911encyclopedia.org/H/HA/HAMPSHIRE.htm Hampshire]".</ref> is a [[Counties of England|county]] on the south coast of [[England]]. 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 [[square kilometre|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 {{coor dms|51|03|35|N|1|18|36|W|}}. The [[United Kingdom Census 2001|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, Dorset|Christchurch]] and [[Bournemouth]], within the [[historic counties of England|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, Hampshire|Beaulieu]]. The [[New Forest]] [[National Parks in England and Wales|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 writers [[Jane Austen]] and [[Charles Dickens]]. ==Wildlife== Hampshire has the typical wildlife of the British area as it does not have a very different climate. The one distinguishing fact is that Hampshire has the largest free roaming herd of stag in the eastern hemisphere, including over 6500 stags at busy seasons. The stag population is protected by the government and hunting of the noble stags is penalized by up to 15 years in prison or 10 hours of community service. ==Physical geography== {{main|Geology of Hampshire}} Hampshire's [[geology]] falls into two categories. In the south, along the coast is the "[[Hampshire Basin]]", an area of relatively [[resistance (geology)|non-resistant]] [[Eocene]] and [[Oligocene]] [[clay]]s and [[gravel]]s 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]] [[habitat (ecology)|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 [[biodiversity|diverse wildlife]]. The forest is protected as a [[National parks of England and Wales|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 [[ria]]s, 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 [[Escarpment|scarp]] onto the [[River Thames|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 [[flower]]s and [[insects]]. In the past Hampshire had little 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 is now protected from further agricultural damage by the East Hampshire [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]]. The [[River Itchen, Hampshire|Itchen]] and [[River Test|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's [[county flower]] is the [[Dog Rose]].<ref>[[BBC News]], [[May 5]] 2004. ''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3684291.stm UK counties choose floral emblems]''.</ref> Hampshire has a milder [[climate]] than most areas of the [[British Isles]]<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2006/oct/15/meteorology.uknews |title=Season of mists? How autumn lost its cool | Science | The Observer |publisher=guardian.co.uk |accessdate=2008-06-02 |last= |first= }} </ref>, being in the far south with the climate stabilising effect of the sea, but protected against the more extreme weather of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast. Hampshire has a higher average annual temperature than the UK average at 9.8 °C to 12 °[[Celsius|C]],<ref>Met Office, 2000. [http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/averages/19712000/tmean/17.gif Annual average temperature for the United Kingdom].</ref> average rainfall at 741&ndash;1060 [[millimetre|mm]] per year,<ref>Met Office, 2000. [http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/averages/19712000/rr/17.gif Annual average rainfall for the United Kingdom].</ref> and higher than average sunshine at over 1541 hours per year.<ref>Met Office, 2000. [http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/averages/19712000/ss/17.gif Annual average sunshine for the United Kingdom].</ref> ==History== {{main|History of Hampshire}} 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 [[Jutes|Jutish]] tribes until [[Saxon people|Saxon]] times. Hampshire was one of the first Saxon [[shire]]s, recorded in 755 as Hamtunscir,<ref name='grant'> 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 [[Normans|Norman]] kings who established the [[New Forest]] as a hunting forest. The county was recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] divided into 44 [[hundred (division)|hundred]]s. 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 [[castle]]s and [[fort]]s were constructed along the coast of the [[Solent]] to defend the harbours at Southampton and Portsmouth. These include the Roman [[Portchester Castle]] which overlooks [[Portsmouth Harbour]], and a series of forts built by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] including [[Hurst Castle]], situated on a sand [[spit (landform)|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 ''[[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]'', the latter being staffed largely by natives of Southampton. 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 the [[Isle of Purbeck]]. [[Supermarine]], the designers of the [[Supermarine Spitfire|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. [[Farnborough]] is a major base of the [[Royal Air Force]]. [[Image:NetleyRVCP-North.jpg|thumb|200px|Southampton from Netley Hospital.]] The county has in the past been called "Southamptonshire" and appears as such on some [[Victorian era|Victorian]] maps{{fact}}. The name of the [[administrative county]] was changed from 'County of Southampton' to 'County of Hampshire' on [[1 April]] [[1959]]{{fact}}. The short form of the name, often used in postal addresses, is ''Hants'', which sometimes gives rise to puzzlement. This 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 counties of England|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, Dorset|Christchurch]] also fall within the traditional county of Hampshire, but were ceded to [[Dorset]] in the local government reorganisation of 1974. ==United States== Hampshire was the departure point of some of those later to settler in the east coast of what is now the United States, in the 17th Century, giving its name in particular to [[New Hampshire]]. ==Economy== [[Image:050103 2300 hants bh.jpg|thumb|200px|The Beaulieu River.]] Hampshire is a relatively affluent county, with a [[Gross domestic product]] (GDP) of [[Pound Sterling|£]]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.<ref>Hampshire County Council, 2002. ''[http://www.hants.gov.uk/profile/2002/profiles-21.html Economic factors].''</ref> Portsmouth and Winchester have the highest job densities in the county, and therefore there is 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 rate|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 with 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]].<ref>Hampshire County Council, 2004. ''[http://www.hants.gov.uk/factsandfigures/profileofhampshire-index.html Profile of Hampshire].''</ref> 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 [[New Forest]] area is a [[National Parks of England and Wales|National Park]], and [[tourism]] is a significant economic segment in this area, with 7.5 million visitors in 1992.<ref>New Forest District Council, n.d. "[http://www.thenewforest.co.uk/moreinfo/students/students_.htm Tourism questions and answers]."</ref> 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.<ref>Hampshire County Council, United Kingdom Tourism Survey & GB Leisure Day Visits Survey, 2004. "[http://www.hants.gov.uk/rh/tourism/facts.html Tourism Facts and Figures]."</ref> 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== [[Image:Soton river test docks 01.jpg|thumb|200px|Southampton Docks.]] At the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|Census 2001]]<ref>[[Office for National Statistics]] & Hampshire County Council, 2003. [http://www.hants.gov.uk/census/ Census 2001 data]</ref> 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%). ==Education== The school system in Hampshire (including Southampton and Portsmouth) is comprehensive. Geographically inside the Hampshire [[Local Education Authority|LEA]] are twenty four independent schools, Southampton has three and Portsmouth has four. Few Hampshire schools have sixth forms, which varies by district council. ==Politics== Hampshire is divided into eighteen [[List of Parliamentary constituencies in Hampshire|parliamentary constituencies]]. Ten of these are represented by [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] (MPs), four by the [[Liberal Democrats]] and three by [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]. Labour represent the large cities, including both Southampton constituencies ([[Southampton Test (UK Parliament constituency)|Test]] and [[Southampton Itchen|Itchen]]) and [[Portsmouth North (UK Parliament constituency)|Portsmouth North]]. The Conservatives represent the most rural constituencies, [[New Forest West (UK Parliament constituency)|New Forest West]], [[New Forest East (UK Parliament constituency)|New Forest East]], [[Hampshire North West (UK Parliament constituency)|Hampshire North West]], [[Hampshire North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Hampshire North East]], [[Hampshire East (UK Parliament constituency)|Hampshire East]] and the constituencies of [[Aldershot (UK Parliament constituency)|Aldershot]], [[Basingstoke (UK Parliament constituency)|Basingstoke]], [[Havant (UK Parliament constituency)|Havant]], [[Gosport (UK Parliament constituency)|Gosport]] and [[Fareham (UK Parliament constituency)|Fareham]], which are centred on towns. The Liberal Democrats represent [[Winchester (UK Parliament constituency)|Winchester]], [[Portsmouth South (UK Parliament constituency)|Portsmouth South]] and [[Eastleigh (UK Parliament constituency)|Eastleigh]], all centred around towns, and the largely rural constituency of [[Romsey (UK Parliament constituency)|Romsey]]. There is a new parliamentary constituency to be contested at the next general election as part of the new boundary changes. The [[Meon Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Meon Valley]] constituency is ''notionally'' a Conservative seat. The [[Isle of Wight]] returns its own Member to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] and, in this way, it is often said{{Fact|date=April 2007}} that Hampshire returns nineteen Members of Parliament despite Hampshire and the Isle of Wight having been separated administratively and ceremonially for some time. 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.<ref>Hampshire County Council, 2005. [http://election.hants.gov.uk/hwstate.aspx Local election results].</ref> Southampton City Council, which is entirely independent, has 18 Liberal Democrat, 15 Labour and 15 Conservative councillors.<ref>Southampton City Council, 2005. [http://www.southampton.gov.uk/council/councillors/default.asp#0 Local election results].</ref> Portsmouth City Council, also independent, has 20 Liberal Democrat, 18 Conservative, seven Labour and one independent councillor.<ref>Portsmouth City Council, 2005. [http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/yourcouncil/1121.html List of councillors].</ref> Hampshire also has its own County Youth Council (HCYC) and is an independent youth-run organisation. It meets once a month around Hampshire and aims to give the young people of Hampshire a voice. It also has numerous district and burough youth councils including Winchester's "Youth Of Winchester" <ref>[http://www.hcycweb.net/ Hampshire County Youth Council]</ref> ==Cities, towns, and villages== [[Image:Uk-basingstoke.jpg|thumb|200px|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]] and of England until the [[Norman conquest of England]]. 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 town]]s 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, Hampshire|Farnborough]] have strong military associations with the [[British Army|Army]], [[Royal Navy]] and [[Royal Air Force]] respectively. The county also includes several [[market town]]s: [[Alton, Hampshire|Alton]], [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]], [[Bishop's Waltham]], [[Lymington]], [[Petersfield, Hampshire|Petersfield]], [[Ringwood]], [[Romsey]], and [[Whitchurch, Hampshire|Whitchurch]]. '''Towns by population size:''' (2001 census) * [[Southampton]] - 234,224 * [[Portsmouth]] - 187,056 * [[Basingstoke]] - 90,171 (town), 152,573 (borough) * [[Gosport]] - 69,348 * [[Waterlooville]] - 63,558 * [[Aldershot]] - 58,120 * [[Farnborough, Hampshire|Farnborough]] - 57,147 * [[Fareham]]/[[Portchester]] - 56,010 (town), 109,619 (borough) * [[Eastleigh]] - 52,894 (town), 116,177 (borough) * [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]] - 52,000 * [[Havant]] - 45,435 (town), 115,300 (borough) * [[Winchester]] - 41,420 * * [[Fleet, Hampshire|Fleet]] - 32,726 ''For the complete list of settlements see [[List of places in Hampshire]].'' ==Culture, arts and sport== [[Image:Winchester Cathedral.JPG|thumb|200px|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.<ref name=hog>Hampshire County Council, 2003. "[http://www.hants.gov.uk/press/2003/pr558hog.html Press Release: Hampshire's Hog has a home]."</ref> Hampshire has [[literature|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, Hampshire]], 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 [[Peter Sellers]], [[Benny Hill]], [[Carl Barat]] 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 game of [[cricket]] was largely developed in south-east England, with one of the first teams forming at [[Hambledon, Hampshire|Hambledon]] in 1750. [[Hampshire County Cricket Club]] today is a successful [[first-class cricket|first-class]] team, captained by [[Dimitri Mascarenhas]]. Hampshire has several [[association football]] teams, including [[Premier League]] side [[Portsmouth F.C.]] and [[Football League Championship|Championship]] side [[Southampton F.C.]], which have traditionally been fierce rivals. Portsmouth won the [[FA Cup]] in 1939 and 2008 and [[Football League]] title on several occasions during the [[1930s]], [[1940s]] and [[1950s]], but have spent much of the last 50 years outside the top division and at one stage spent two seasons in the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]] (the lowest division in senior football). Southampton, meanwhile, have only won one major trophy to date (the FA Cup in [[1976]]), even though they spent 27 unbroken years in the top division ([[1978]]-[[2005]]). [[Aldershot F.C.]] became members of the [[Football League]] in [[1932]] but never progressed beyond the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] and on [[25 March]] [[1992]] were declared [[Bankruptcy|bankrupt]] and forced to resign from the league. A new football club, [[Aldershot Town F.C.|Aldershot Town]], was formed almost immediately, and who were promoted from the [[Conference National|Blue Square Premier Division]] (highest division outside the Football League) into [[League Two|Football League Two]] of the [[Football League]] in April 2008. [[Thruxton Circuit]] is Hampshire's premier motor racing course with the [[National Motor Museum]] being located in the [[New Forest]] adjacent to [[Beaulieu, Hampshire|Beaulieu Palace House]]. The [[Farnborough Airshow]] is a popular international event, held biennially. ==Transport== [[Southampton Airport]], with an accompanying main line [[Southampton Airport (Parkway) railway station|railway station]], is an international [[airport]] situated in the [[Eastleigh (borough)|Borough of Eastleigh]], close to [[Swaythling]] in the city of [[Southampton]]. Cross-[[English Channel|channel]] and cross-[[Solent]] 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 archaeological 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 road|A3]], [[A31 road|A31]] and [[A36 road|A36]].The roads in the county are known for their heavy traffic, especially around Southampton and [[Portsmouth]] and the [[M27 motorway|M27]] and [[A27 road|A27]]. The county has a high level of car ownership, with only 15.7% having no access to a private car compared with 26.8% for England and Wales. The county has a lower than average use of trains (3.2% compared with 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%).<ref>Hampshire County Council, 2005. [http://www.hants.gov.uk/factsandfigures/ Facts and Figures website].</ref> ==See also== {{portal}} * [[Portal:Hampshire]] * [[List of churches in Hampshire]] * [[List of places in Hampshire]] * [[Places of interest in Hampshire]] * [[Recreational walks in Hampshire]] * [[List of Parliamentary constituencies in Hampshire]] * [[Business in Hampshire]] * [[New Hampshire]], the US State named after the County. ==External links== {{Commonscat|Hampshire}} * [http://www.hampshire.gov.uk Hampshire County Council] * [http://byrobb.tripod.com/wah/ Walks Around Hampshire] * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/hampshire BBC Hampshire] * [http://www.steinsky.me.uk/hampshire.php Photographs of Hampshire] * [http://www.visitorworld.co.uk/attractions/hampshire Hampshire Visitor Attractions] * [http://ww2.portsmouth-college.ac.uk/portsmouth/Portsmouth-from-the-Air/Western_Rd 93 Vintage Photographs of Portsmouth from the Air] * [http://gallery.beautifulengland.net/main.php?g2_itemId=308 Information and photographs of Hampshire] * [http://www.historicfarnborough.co.uk/ Historic Farnborough] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== # [[1911 Encyclopædia Britannica|Encyclopædia Britannica]], 1911. "[http://59.1911encyclopedia.org/H/HA/HAMPSHIRE.htm Hampshire]". # Draper, Jo. 1990. ''Hampshire''. Wimborne: Dovecote Press. ISBN 0-946159-82-3 # ''Pigot & Co's Atlas of the Counties of England'', 1840. London: J Pigot & Co. <br /> {{England counties}} <!--Categories--> [[Category:Hampshire| ]] [[Category:Youth councils]] [[Category:Articles including recorded pronunciations (UK English)]] <!--Interwiki--> [[ang:Sūþhāmtūnscīr]] [[br:Hampshire]] [[bg:Хампшър]] [[ca:Hampshire]] [[cy:Hampshire]] [[de:Hampshire]] [[et:Hampshire]] [[es:Hampshire]] [[eo:Hampshire]] [[eu:Hampshire]] [[fr:Hampshire (comté)]] [[hi:हैम्पशायर]] [[id:Hampshire]] [[is:Hampshire]] [[it:Hampshire]] [[he:המפשייר]] [[kw:Hampshire]] [[la:Hantonia]] [[lv:Hempšīra]] [[lb:Hampshire (England)]] [[nl:Hampshire]] [[ja:ハンプシャー]] [[no:Hampshire]] [[pl:Hampshire (Anglia)]] [[pt:Hampshire]] [[ro:Hampshire]] [[ru:Хэмпшир]] [[simple:Hampshire]] [[sk:Hampshire]] [[fi:Hampshire]] [[sv:Hampshire]] [[tr:Hampshire]] [[vec:Hampshire]] [[vo:Hampshire]] [[zh:漢普郡]]