Dorset is a maritime county in southwestern England, bounded on the north by
Wiltshire, on the east by
Hampshire, south by the
English Channel, west by
Devon, and northwest by
Somerset. It covers an area of 973 square miles.
Along the county's northern border is Cranborne Chase, the last remnant of Britain's oldest forest. On the south, Poole Harbor and Weymouth and Lyme bays break the rocky coastline. A line of chalk hills called the South Downs traverses the county.
Dorset has three notable churches. Sherborn Abbey with tombs of Wessex kings, Winborne Minster, and the Gothic Milton Abbey. Roman remains are numerous.
Dorchester on the Frome River is the county town. The chief ports are Poole, Weymouth, Swanage, Bridgeport, and Lyme Regis.
