Did you know that?
- The South East has the most densely populated unitary authority in England - Portsmouth has 48.7 persons per hectare (greater than the average for London)
- There are just over two million children and young people aged under 20 in the South East (24.4% of the total population of 8.23 million, mid 2006)
- Over one million adults (aged 16-60) in the region lack basic skills in literacy and/or numeracy
- The South East has more workers in forestry than any other region in England
- 14% of the land area is wooded and accounts for 40% of England’s semi-natural ancient woodland
- Kent has the largest number of oast houses in the world
- One of the largest trees in Britain - an oak over 1,000 years old with girth of 12.5 metres, is located in Midhurst, West Sussex
- Britain's oldest-known shipwreck, a Bronze Age ship from around 31 centuries ago carrying axe-heads, is located near the eastern arm of Dover Harbour
- Winchester was the capital of England until the late 12th Century
- For a Christmas feast in 1206 at Winchester Castle, King John's orders to the sheriff included 1,500 chickens, 5,000 eggs, 20 oxen, 100 pigs, and 100 sheep
- The most visited free attraction in the South East is Eastbourne Pier (with an estimated 1.6 million visits in 2003)
- The South East is the largest music making region in England with more than 420 music societies belonging to the National Federation of Music Societies
The South East in numbers
- Over 300 museums and galleries, attracting over 10 million visitors a year
- Six historic battlefields
- 46,000 allotment plots
- The largest castle in England and largest inhabited castle in the world - Windsor Castle
- One of the longest cathedrals in Europe - Winchester Cathedral (556ft long)
- 900 tourist attractions
- 66 active Real Ale Breweries
People in the South East
- spend more on cheese on dried nuts and fruits than any other region
- spend more on furniture and furnishings, household cleaning materials, and garden supplies than any other region
- Spend more on gambling payments than any other region.
- Spend more on train and tube fares than any other region
- Spend least of any region on clothing accessories
- Spend least of any region on bus and coach fares
