Kent

Kent is a county in the South East England region, the closest county to continental Europe. It borders Essex across the entire estuary of the River Thames to the north; the French department of Pas-de-Calais across the Strait of Dover to the south-east; East Sussex to the south-west; Surrey to the west and Greater London to the north-west. The county town is Maidstone.

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Kent
Ceremonial county
The White Cliffs of Dover, stained glass depicting Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and Rochester Castle
Flag
Ceremonial Kent within England Ceremonial Kent Historic Kent in the British Isles Historic Kent
Coordinates: 51°12′N 0°42′E
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South East
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	Kent Police
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant	Philip Sidney
High Sheriff	Mrs Remony Millwater[1] (2020/21)
Area	3,736 km2 (1,442 sq mi)
• Ranked	10th of 48
Population (2021)	1,846,478
• Ranked	5th of 48
Density	494/km2 (1,280/sq mi)
Ethnicity	93.7% White (89.1% White British)[2]
Non-metropolitan county
County council	Kent County Council
Executive	Conservative
Admin HQ	Maidstone
Area	3,544 km2 (1,368 sq mi)
• Ranked	6th of 21
Population	1,578,519
• Ranked	1st of 21
Density	445/km2 (1,150/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2	GB-KEN
ONS code	29
GSS code	E10000016
ITL	UKJ42
Website	www.kent.gov.uk
Districts
Districts of Kent   Unitary   County council area
Districts	Sevenoaks Dartford Gravesham Tonbridge and Malling Medway Maidstone Tunbridge Wells Swale Ashford City of Canterbury Folkestone and Hythe Thanet Dover

It is the fifth most populous county in England, the most populous non-metropolitan county and the most populous of the Home Counties, an area influenced by the capital such as commutes and transport connections to the capital. Twenty-eight per cent of the county forms part of two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: the North Downs and The High Weald.

Kent was one of the first British territories to be settled by Germanic tribes, most notably the Jutes, following the withdrawal of the Romans.[3] Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, the oldest cathedral in England, has been the seat of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the conversion of England to Christianity that began in the 6th century with Saint Augustine. Rochester Cathedral in Medway is England's second-oldest cathedral. Located between London and the Strait of Dover, which separates England from mainland Europe, Kent has been the setting for both conflict and diplomacy, including the Battle of Britain in World War II and the Leeds Castle peace talks of 1978 and 2004.

England relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of its history; the Cinque Ports in the 10th[4]–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance. France can be seen clearly in fine weather from Folkestone and the White Cliffs of Dover. Hills in the form of the North Downs and the Greensand Ridge span the length of the county and in the Vale of Holmesdale in between and to the south are most of the county's 26 castles.

The county has agriculture, haulage, logistics and tourism industries. As the land between the capital and the wider continent, it is a high-income county. Agriculture of the county is a notable sector: "The Garden of England" is a nickname for the county, which has multiple orchards and allotments.[5] In north-west Kent, industries include aggregate building material extraction, printing and scientific research. Coal mining has also played its part in the county's industrial heritage.