South East England
Encyclopedia : S : SO : SOU : South East England
| South East | |
 | |
| Admin HQ | Guildford |
| Area - Total | 3rd in England 19,096 km² |
| Population - Total (2001) - Density | 1st in England 8,000,550 419/km² |
| NUTS 1: | UKJ |
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England. The current boundaries include Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. In common usage the area may widely vary.
The highest point of the region is Walbury Hill in Berkshire at 297m/974 ft.
Administrative divisions
The region is divided into the following geographic counties (shown in bold) and their local government areas:
Berkshire (Ceremonial county)
All of Berkshire's districts are Unitary Authorities
- Buckinghamshire
- *South Bucks
- *Chiltern
- *Wycombe
- *Aylesbury Vale
- Milton Keynes Unitary Authority
- East Sussex
- *Hastings
- *Rother
- *Wealden
- *Eastbourne
- *Lewes
- Brighton & Hove Unitary Authority
- Hampshire
- *Gosport
- *Fareham
- *Winchester
- *Havant
- *East Hampshire
- *Hart
- *Rushmoor
- *Basingstoke and Deane
- *Test Valley
- *Eastleigh
- *New Forest
- Southampton Unitary Authority
- Portsmouth Unitary Authority
- Isle of Wight Unitary Authority
- Kent
- *Dartford
- *Gravesham
- *Sevenoaks
- *Tonbridge and Malling
- *Tunbridge Wells
- *Maidstone
- *Swale
- *Ashford
- *Shepway
- *Canterbury
- *Dover
- *Thanet
- Medway Unitary Authority
- Surrey
- *Spelthorne
- *Runnymede
- *Surrey Heath
- *Woking
- *Elmbridge
- *Guildford
- *Waverley
- *Mole Valley
- *Epsom and Ewell
- *Reigate and Banstead
- *Tandridge
Historical boundaries
Until the late 1990s the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Greater London were also included for official purposes — excluding London left an area called "ROSE" (rest of South East).
Common usage
In unofficial usage the South East can refer to a varying area - sometimes only to Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, and Surrey, but more usually to the former official region referred to above, which corresponds approximately to the London commuter belt.
Local dialects
Traditionally the middle class inhabitants of the South East have spoken received pronunciation (also known as "RP", BBC English and Queen's English). Nowadays a form of the English language influenced by working class London accents and known as Estuary English is more prevalent in the region, even among the higher social classes. The name derives from the estuary of the River Thames which runs through East London and past Essex and Kent, which is the area where this accent is said to have originated.
External links
- [Government Office for the South East]
- [South East England Regional Assembly]
- [South East England Development Agency]
- [Government's list of councils in the South East]
- [Tourism Information - Visit South East England]
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| Regions of England: East of England | East Midlands | London | North East | North West | South East | South West | West Midlands | Yorkshire and the Humber | |
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