Dorset

Dorset (pronounced Dorsit, sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the southwest of England, on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester, situated in the south of the county at {{coor dms|50|43|00|N|02|26|00|W|}}. Between its extreme points Dorset measures 50 miles (80 km) from east to west and 40 miles (64 km) north to south, and has an area of 1,024 square miles (2,653 km²). Dorset borders Devon to the west, Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north-east and Hampshire to the east. The county is largely rural with a low population and population density. Dorset's motto is Who's Afear'd.

References

• {{note|name}} Mapping the Dornsaete (Dorset) Domesday, Historical Maps of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – verified 2005-04-22
• {{note|av_temp}} Met Office, 2000. Annual average temperature for the United Kingdom.
• {{note|av_sun}} Met Office, 2000. Annual average sunshine for the United Kingdom.
• {{note|av_rain}} Met Office, 2000. Annual average rainfall for the United Kingdom.
• {{note|census}} Office for National Statistics, 2001 census data – verified 2005-04-22
• {{note|facts}} Dorset County Council Facts & Figures – verified 2005-04-22
• {{note|sandbanks}} "Island on the market for £2.5 million", BBC News April 13, 2005
• Arkell, W.J., 1978. The Geology of the Country around Weymouth, Swanage, Corfe & Lulworth. London: Geological Survey of Great Britain, HMSO.
• Davies, G.M., 1956. A Geological Guide to the Dorset Coast, 2nd ed. London: A & C Black.
• Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911. Dorsetshire.
• Perkins, John W., 1977. Geology Explained in Dorset. London: David & Charles.
• Pitt-Rivers, Michael, 1968. Dorset. London: Faber & Faber.
• Taylor, Christopher, 1970. The making of the Dorset landscape. London: Hodder & Stoughton.
• West, Ian, 2004. Geology of the Wessex Coast and Southern England, Southampton University, (Accessed between Sep 2003 and Oct 2004).

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