Hampshire

Hampshire county
	; flag
	; flag
Country	United Kingdom
Part of the country	England
region	South East England
status	Ceremonial and Administrative County
First mention	755 (as Hamtunscir )
Ceremonial county
surface	3,769 km²
Residents	1,844,245
was standing	June 30, 2018
Administrative county
Administrative authority	Hampshire County Council
Administrative headquarters	Winchester
ISO-3166-2	GB-HAM
surface	3,679 km²
Residents	1,376,316
was standing	June 30, 2018
ONS code	24
GSS code	E10000014
NUTS code	UKJ35 to UKJ37
Website	www.hants.gov.uk
	Districts / Unitary Authorities;
	Gosport; Fareham; Winchester; Havant; East Hampshire; Hard; Rushmoor; Basingstoke and Deane; Test Valley; Eastleigh; New Forest; Southampton; Portsmouth;

Hampshire [ ˈhæmpʃə ] is a county on the south coast of England . The administrative seat is Winchester . The cities of Southampton and Portsmouth were separated as a separate administrative unit ( Unitary Authority ) in 1997 , but still belong to Hampshire in ceremonial terms. Other towns in the county are Basingstoke , Andover , Aldershot , Winchester and Farnborough .

Aldershot, Portsmouth and Farnborough are garrisons of the British Army , Royal Navy and Royal Air Force .

history

The county was called "Southamptonshire" (also County of Southampton ) until April 1, 1959 and appears under this name on some maps from the Victorian era. The short form of the county is Hants . This ancient name also appears as the place of embarkation for many emigrants to Ellis Island , New York . It is recorded in the Commonwealth Instrument of Government of 1653, which was adopted by Oliver Cromwell when he took over the office of Lord Protector in 1654 .

Winchester , the administrative seat, is a historic town that was once the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Wessex . Southampton and Portsmouth are major ports. An international airport is located between Southampton and Eastleigh. Hampshire is a popular holiday area with numerous tourist attractions such as the coastal baths, the Portsmouth Harbor area and the Beaulieu Vehicle Museum. In addition to the New Forest , a large part of the South Downs is located in the boundaries of Hampshire , both areas are national parks .

The Isle of Wight on the other side of the Solent was part of Hampshire until 1974, but has since formed its own county. At the same time Bournemouth was ceded to Dorset .

Around 1.3 million people live in Hampshire (as of 2014). Including Portsmouth and Southampton, it's around 1.75 million.