Hampshire (pop. 1,240,032) is a county in southern England. It faces the English Channel about halfway along England's southern coast. Gently rounded hills, fertile valleys, pleasant villages, and woodlands make the county one of the most beautiful in Britain. Hampshire covers an area of 1,458 square miles (3,775 square kilometers). Wincester is its administrative center.
Traditionally an agricultural county, Hampshire has several growing centers of industry. Winchester College, one of Britain's most famous independent schools, was founded in 1382 by William of Wykeham, the Bishop of Winchester. The college was opened in 1394.
The Isle of Wight, England's largest offshore island, is separated from Hampshire by a stretch of water called the Solent. Until the early 1970's, this island was part of Hampshire, but it is now a separate administrative area. In 1997, Portsmouth and Southampton became separate unitary authorities.
