Sunday, 6 September 2015 - 06:05 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Great Britain / Großbritannien Category/Kategorie: GeneralReading Time: 5minutes
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-west of London and 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water at the confluence of the River Test and River Itchen, with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area. The local authority is Southampton City Council, which is a unitary authority.
Significant employers in Southampton include the University of Southampton, Southampton Airport, the Ford Transit factory, Ordnance Survey, the BBC through Radio Solent and South Today, the NHS and one of the largest commercial ports in Europe. The city represents the core of the Greater Southampton region, and the city itself has an estimated population of 234,600 (MYE 2008). Southampton combines with Portsmouth to form a single metropolitan area with a population of over a million this is one of the United Kingdom’s most populous metropolitan areas. The city’s name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to “So’ton” or “Soton”, and a resident of Southampton is called a Sotonian. Southampton is noted for its association with the RMS Titanic, the Spitfire and more recently a number of the largest cruise ships in the world.
November 2008 when the Cunard Liner RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 departed the city for the final time amid a spectacular fireworks display after a full day of celebrations. Proudly continuing the tradition of luxury cruising that began in 1840, Queen Victoria was successfully launched in December 2007 and was named by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall in a spectacular ceremony in Southampton. In the spring of 2009, a fourth Cruise Terminal was opened in Southampton and Carnival Corporation & plc moved the headquarters of Carnival UK to Southampton.
The city is home to the longest surviving stretch of medieval walls in England, as well as a number of museums such as Tudor House Museum, recently re-opened on 30 July 2011 after undergoing extensive restoration and improvement, Southampton Maritime Museum, God’s House Tower, an archaeology museum about the citys heritage and located in one of the tower walls, the Medieval Merchant’s House and Solent Sky, which focuses on aviation. A Titanic Memorial Museum is planned. Having received half a million pounds from the National Lottery and interest from numerous private investors, the £28 million project is anticipated to open in 2012 – the 100th anniversary year of the tragic maiden voyage. The museum is planned to be inside the western wing of the civic centre, where the old magistrates courts and the police station are currently located
The annual Southampton Boat Show is held in September each year, with over 600 exhibitors present. It runs for just over a week at Mayflower Park on the city’s waterfront, where it has been held since 1968. The Boat Show itself is the climax of Sea City, which runs from April to September each year to celebrate Southampton’s links with the sea.
