Portsmouth
Population: 209085 people
Portsmouth (i/ˈpɔərtsməθ/) is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Located mainly on Portsea Island, it is the United Kingdom's only island city. Portsmouth is 64 miles (103 km) south west of London and 19 miles (31 km) south east of Southampton. The city has a population of 205,400 and is the only city in the United Kingdom with a greater population density than London. The City of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club are both nicknamed "Pompey".
As a significant naval port for centuries, Portsmouth has the world's oldest continuously used dry dock and is home to some famous ships, including HMS Warrior, the Tudor carrack Mary Rose and Lord Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory (the world's oldest naval ship still in commission). Although smaller than in its heyday, the naval base remains the major dockyard of the Royal Navy being home to two-thirds of the entire surface fleet. For this reason, Portsmouth was, by the 19th century, one of the most fortified cities in the world. As well as the naval base there is also a commercial cruise ship and ferry port serving destinations on the continent for freight and passenger traffic. The waterfront area is dominated by the Spinnaker Tower, a 170m landmark located in the former Vernon naval shore establishment, since redeveloped as an area of retail outlets, restaurants, clubs and bars known as Gunwharf Quays.
Portsmouth forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area which also covers Southampton, Havant, Waterlooville, Eastleigh, Fareham and Gosport. With an estimated 860,000 residents, it is the 6th largest urban area in England and the largest in South East England., forming the centre of one of the United Kingdom's most populous metropolitan areas with a population in excess of one million.
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