The north, the midlands and the south

Southern England is an imprecise term used to refer to the southern counties of England. Differing usages apply the term with varying geographic extents. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 485 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2140 × 2645 pixel, file size: 145 KB, MIME type: image/png) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 485 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2140 × 2645 pixel, file size: 145 KB, MIME type: image/png) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Originally, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count (in Great Britain, an earl, though the original earldoms covered larger areas) by reason of that office. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130...

In most definitions Southern England includes all the counties on the English Channel; from west to east these are: Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ...

• Cornwall
• Devon
• Dorset
• Hampshire
• Isle of Wight
• West Sussex
• East Sussex
• Kent
• Somerset
• Wiltshire
• Berkshire
• Surrey
• Greater London

Several of these counties are, however, commonly reckoned as part of the West Country, which in some usages may be treated as mutually exclusive with Southern England. Cornwall (pronounced ; Cornish: ) is a county in south-west England, United Kingdom, on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar and Devon. ... “Devonshire” redirects here. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire. ... West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove), Hampshire and Surrey. ... East Sussex is a county in South East England. ... coat of Arms of Kent For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... This article is about the county of Somerset in England. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Should not be confused with Surry. ... Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... The West Country is an informal term for the area of south-western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. ...

The exact northern extent likewise varies. In the west it can include Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Oxfordshire, though these are sometimes considered part of the Midlands. The counties between the Midlands and London (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire) may sometimes be considered part of Southern England, as may the counties of East Anglia (Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk). The county of Monmouthshire in South Wales is also considered to be or have been in Southern England by some, due to its former status as a buffer state between England and Wales. Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county and unitary district (known as County of Herefordshire) in the West Midlands region of England. ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... The midlands of a territory are its central regions. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Bedfordshire (abbreviated Beds) is a county in England that forms part of the East of England region. ... Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is one of the home counties in South East England. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... This article is about the county of Essex in England. ... Norfolk (IPA: //) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... Suffolk (pronounced ) is a large historic and modern non-metropolitan county in East Anglia, England. ... Monmouthshire (Welsh: ) is both a historic county and principal area in south-east Wales. ... Approximate extent of South Wales South Wales (Welsh: ) is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. ... This article is about the country. ...

On a maximal definition, the northern boundary thus approximately corresponds to an imaginary line drawn from the Severn Estuary to the Wash (or, expressed in terms of towns, from Gloucester to King's Lynn). If government office regions were to be used as a basis, this area would comprise South East England and South West England, Greater London, and the East of England. However, the most common usage is to exclude the East of England from the current definition of Southern England. The location of the Bristol Channel The Severn Bridge and Bristol Channel, looking northwestward from England towards Wales The Bristol Channel coast at Ilfracombe, North Devon, looking west towards Lee Bay The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from South West... The Wash, as seen looking west from Heacham, Norfolk The Wash is also the name of a 2001 film. ... Gloucester (pronounced ) is a city and district in the English county of Gloucestershire, close to the Welsh border. ... Kings Lynn as viewed from across the River Great Ouse Kings Lynn is a town and port in the English county of Norfolk. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... South East England is one of the nine official regions of England. ... South West England is one of the regions of England. ... Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. ...

See also

• Home Counties
• Constitutional Status of Cornwall