Dorset
Dorset is a county in south England which is by the sea. The biggest towns in it are Bournemouth and Poole. There are other smaller towns, some by the sea, like Weymouth, Swanage, West Bay, the Isle of Portland, Dorchester, Wareham, Lyme Regis, Blandford and Wool.
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| Coordinates: 50°48′N 2°18′W / 50.800°N 2.300°WCoordinates: 50°48′N 2°18′W / 50.800°N 2.300°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West |
| Established | Ancient |
| Time zone | UTC±00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time) |
| Members of Parliament | List of MPs |
| Police | Dorset Police |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Lord Lieutenant | Michael Dooley |
| High Sheriff | Callum Bremner[1] |
| Area | [convert: needs a number] |
| • Ranked | of 48 |
| Population (2005 est.) | 701,900 |
| • Ranked | 30th of 48 |
| Density | 265/km2 (690/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | 88.0% White British (2021) |
| Unitary authorities | |
| Councils | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Dorset Council |
| Districts | |
 Districts of Dorset Unitary | |
| Districts | |
Location
Dorset is next to Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire. There is a lot of countryside in Dorset, so there are quite a few farmers. Other people work in offices, shops or the holiday business. There are not many factories or industry in Dorset. People come on holiday to Dorset because the countryside and sea is peaceful and pretty, and there are not many big towns and no cities at all. Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Swanage and Lyme Regis are quite famous seaside towns, where most holidaymakers go when they come to Dorset.
Dorset coast
The Dorset coast is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Jurassic Coast. This includes famous fossil sites where Mary Anning collected, and famous landforms such as Chesil Beach.
Gallery
- Dorset
Dorset
Sherborne Abbey
Wimbourne Minster
Wimbourne Minster
Kingston Lacey
Kingston Lacey
Bere Regis
Bere Regis
Forde Abbey
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Dorset Media
Corfe Castle, captured and destroyed by Cromwell's army in 1646
Geological map of Dorset
Lulworth Cove from Hambury Tout, on the Jurassic Coast
The beach near Bournemouth Pier; Dorset's coastline is a major attraction for tourists
The Keep Military Museum in Dorchester
Traction engines on display at the Great Dorset Steam Fair
The flag of Dorset, England.
- ↑ "Meet the High Sheriff of Dorset". Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.