South East

South East England covers counties including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Hampshire, Kent, East and West Sussex and the Isle of Wight. The region has a long coastline along the English Channel and the Thames Estuary, and contains chalk landscapes such as the North and South Downs and the White Cliffs of Dover. Rivers such as the Thames and the Medway cross agricultural plains, ancient woodlands and market towns, while seaside settlements and ferry ports sit where land meets sea.

Towns and cities range from Portsmouth and Southampton on the south coast to Canterbury and Winchester inland. Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard displays HMS Victory and the Mary Rose, and the Isle of Wight is marked by The Needles rock stacks off its western headland. The local economy mixes maritime services, advanced manufacturing, higher education and transport hubs, with major motorways, rail corridors, Gatwick Airport and cross-Channel ferry routes linking the region.