Hampshire is a large county in southern england with the south coast as one of its frontiers. Some 85% of its land mass is classed as rural. Its county town is Winchester although this town's population is dwarfed by the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, which are part of the ceremonial county of Hampshire but not the non-metropolitan county. Other major population centres include Basingstoke, Gosport, Waterlooville, Fareham, Aldershot, Farnborough and Eastleigh.

Hampshire contains the national parks of the South Downs and the New Forest and these cover some 45% of the county's area. The River Test is well known for its growing number of otters. The county contains many seaside resorts, including Hayling Island. Adjacent counties include West Sussex, Berkshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Dorset. It is the birthplace of world-famous literary figures Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.