Portsmouth

Portsmouth, city, southern England, located on Portsea Island, on Spithead. Although it forms part of the county of Hampshire for geographical purposes, Portsmouth is also a unitary authority in its own right (see Portsmouth (borough)). Portsmouth is one of the most important naval bases in the United Kingdom; the Royal Dockyard employs approximately 1,600 people. The city has some commercial wharves, and passenger traffic flows from here to the Continent; aerospace industries are also important to its economy. The Southsea section of the city is a popular seaside resort. Historical landmarks include the cathedral (mostly 12th century); the wreck of the Mary Rose, the most important warship of Henry VIII, which sank off Southsea in 1545 and was raised in a major underwater operation in 1982; HMS Victory, the flagship of Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805); HMS Warrior, the strongest and fastest Victorian warship; and the house in which Charles Dickens was born in 1812. The Spinnaker Tower, which at 170 m (554 ft) is the tallest public building in the United Kingdom outside London, was completed in 2005. Portsmouth FC plays its plays its home games at the city’s Fratton Park stadium. The University of Portsmouth (Portsmouth Polytechnic until 1992) is also there, and has some 12,000 students. Portsmouth was founded in 1194 by Richard I. In 1496 the Royal Dockyard was established and the world’s first dry dock was built. During World War II, because of its strategic military significance, Portsmouth was damaged by extensive German bombing. Population 190,370 (1996 estimate).