Hampshire's New Forest area is in fact a National Park, attracting visitors and tourism industry is an important economic source of this area, with millions of visitors in 1992. Southampton Boat Show is the best annual sports events that is held in the county and it attracts visitors from the country. In 2003 alone, the county had a massive total of 31 million day visits and 4.2 million longer stay visits.



Significant ports are situated at both the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, with the former who handles a large percentage of the national container payloads and Portsmouth is a home to a vast Royal Naval base. Traditionally the docks have been the big employers of these cities, although again mechanisation has changed the face of the economy.

The education system in schools in Hampshire, which includes Southampton and Portsmouth is fully organised. Geographically in the interiors of Hampshire LEA are twenty four independent schools, where as Southampton has 3 and Portsmouth has 4. Very few Hampshire schools have the sixth forms, which differs in every district council.

Natives of the county have been called Hampshire hogs since the 18th century, just because Hampshire has been long associated with pigs and boars. Hampshire has connections with the literary world, as it is the birthplace of authors including Charles Dickens and Jane Austen and the homes of others, people like Charles Kingsley.

Austen had spent most part of her life in Hampshire and completed writing all of her novels in the county, it was here where her father was a clergyman at Steventon, Hampshire. Hampshire is also connected with visual art, it had a painter named John Everett Millais as a native resident and the cities and its countryside have been the theme in most of the paintings created by L. S. Lowry and J. M. W. Turner. Explorer Lawrence Oates and entertainers such as Peter Sellers, Benny Hill, Craig David and Carl Barat were born here.

It is quite safe to develop sailing areas in its safe waters, with many yatch clubs and many production houses on the Solent. The game of Cricket was mostly developed in south east England. Hampshire County Cricket Club is a successful first class team.

The county has several professional football teams such as Premier League, Portsmouth F.C. and a great side Southampton F.C., which have earlier been arch rivals. Adjoining the Beaulieu Palace House, Thruxton Circuit is Hampshires formost motor racing course with the National Motor Museum is located inside the New Forest. A famous international event, the Farnboroug Airshow is, held every alternate years.

Southampton Airport, is an international airport with an accompanying main line railway station, which is situated in the Borough of Eastleigh, near to Swaythling in the city of Southampton. Ferries link the county to the Isle of Wight and European continent through cross channel and cross Solent. South Western Main Line railway from London to Weymouth that goes via Winchester and Southampton and then on to Wessex Main Line from Bristol to Portsmouth and also runs throughout the county.

The M3 motorway connects London with the county. The M27 motorway plays the role of a bypass for the major collection and serves as a link to other locations that are settled on the south coast. Other significant roads included are the A3, A31 and A36. The county has a high level of car ownership, uses less than normal trains and buses, but the level of bicycle users is quite high.