New Forest National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park) | |
Location | Hampshire, England |
Nearest city | Southampton |
Coordinates | 50°51′47″N 01°37′05″W / 50.86306°N 1.61806°W |
Area | New Forest National Park: 566 km2 (219 sq mi) New Forest: 380 km2 (150 sq mi) |
Established | 1079 |
Visitors | 14.75 million (est) (in 2009) |
Governing body | New Forest National Park Authority |
Designated | 22 September 1993 |
The New Forest is an area of southern England. It includes one of the largest remaining pieces of open pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south East of England.[1] It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-eastern Wiltshire and towards easter, Dorset.
The name also refers to the New Forest National Park, which has similar boundaries. The New Forest District is a subdivision of Hampshire that covers most of the forest. There are many villages dotted around the area, and several small towns in the forest and around its edges.