Hampshire is situated in the far south of England, roughly half-way between the east and west ends of the South Coast. Within its boundaries are the separate unitary authorities of Southampton and Portsmouth.
Covering an area of 367,860 hectares, which excludes both Southampton and Portsmouth, it is one of the largest non-metropolitan counties in England. The population of the county is 1,240,032, with additional 217,600 in Southampton and 186,704 in Portsmouth.
(Information source: 2001 census ONS)
