South Hampshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
South Hampshire is a term used mainly to refer to the conurbation formed by the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton and their suburbs, in southern Hampshire, England, with an approximate population of 865,221 based on the 2001 census.
Apart from the two cities, it also includes Eastleigh, Gosport, Fareham, Havant, Hedge End, Portchester, Totton, Stubbington, Bishopstoke and Waterlooville. The region may be subdivided into the Greater Southampton and Greater Portsmouth areas.
The commuter belt of South Hampshire includes many towns just outside the conurbation, but still in the very built-up South Hants area. When places such as Winchester, Chichester, Romsey, Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Hythe, Fawley, Emsworth, Hayling Island and Bishop's Waltham are included, the population rises to well over a million people.
Because of the proximity of Southampton and Portsmouth, they are fierce rivals, but also have to share various resources, including local radio stations (BBC Radio Solent, also a local digital radio multiplex), and a telephone area code (023, although this is not contiguous as Fareham retains a separate number, and calls made between the cities are not charged at local rate).
