Thanet

Thanet sits on the north‑eastern tip of Kent, the landform long called the Isle of Thanet after the Wantsum Channel once separated it from the mainland. The district includes Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and smaller settlements, and its coastline runs from North Foreland past Pegwell Bay to Reculver. Margate is home to the Turner Contemporary gallery on the seafront and the Shell Grotto, an underground passage lined with mosaics of shells. Ramsgate contains the Royal Harbour and a network of wartime tunnels beneath the town. The shoreline offers sandy bays, chalk headlands and stretches of intertidal mud used by migrating birds.

Thanet has a mix of maritime and cultural heritage. Broadstairs retains links with Charles Dickens and stages an annual festival in his name; Pegwell Bay records both natural history and arrival stories dating to the Anglo‑Saxon period. Rail links on the Kent coast line and high‑speed services connect stations in the district with London. Local industries include fishing, boat maintenance, and visitor services, alongside small manufacturing and commuter housing serving the wider Thames Estuary region.