Dover
§ This page gives an overview of the Dover local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Dover, on the Kent coast, is famed for its White Cliffs rising above the English Channel. Dover Castle dominates the skyline, with centuries of history overlooking the busy port. The town itself has harbours, promenades, and historic sites, while the surrounding district includes Deal, with its castle and seaside charm, and Sandwich, a medieval Cinque Port town with winding streets. The coastline features chalk cliffs, beaches, and nature reserves, while inland areas include rolling Kent countryside and villages.
The administrative boundary of Dover can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Dover.
Key Facts about Dover
What region is Dover in? Dover is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Dover in? Dover is located in the county of Kent.
Is Dover a city? No, Dover is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Dover? The local authority for this district is: Dover District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Kent is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Kent County Council.
▶ Official website of Dover District Council 🔗 dover.gov.uk
Which police force covers Dover? Policing in Dover is provided by Kent Police 🔗 kent.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Ashford ⁞ Canterbury ⁞ Dartford ⁞ Dover ⁞ Folkestone and Hythe ⁞ Gravesham ⁞ Maidstone ⁞ Medway ⁞ Sevenoaks ⁞ Swale ⁞ Thanet ⁞ Tonbridge and Malling ⁞ Tunbridge Wells.
Constituencies in Dover
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Dover
Dover is divided into 17 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Alkham & Capel-le-Ferne
- Aylesham, Eythorne & Shepherdswell
- Buckland
- Dover Downs & River
- Eastry Rural
- Guston, Kingsdown & St Margaret's-at-Cliffe
- Little Stour & Ashstone
- Maxton & Elms Vale
- Middle Deal
- Mill Hill
- North Deal
- Sandwich
- St Radigunds
- Tower Hamlets
- Town & Castle
- Walmer
- Whitfield
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Dover
Dover is fully parished: 35 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Alkham
- Ash
- Aylesham
- Capel-le-Ferne
- Deal
- Denton with Wootton
- Dover
- Eastry
- Eythorne
- Goodnestone
- Great Mongeham
- Guston
- Hougham Without
- Langdon
- Lydden
- Nonington
- Northbourne
- Preston
- Ringwould with Kingsdown
- Ripple
- River
- Sandwich
- Shepherdswell with Coldred
- Sholden
- St. Margaret's at Cliffe
- Staple
- Stourmouth
- Sutton
- Temple Ewell
- Tilmanstone
- Walmer
- Whitfield
- Wingham
- Woodnesborough
- Worth
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Dover
Dover covers 26 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Alkham
- Ash (Dover)
- Aylesham *
- Capel-le-Ferne *
- Cliffs End *
- Deal
- Dover
- East Studdal
- Eastry
- Eythorne
- Great Mongeham
- Guston
- Hawkinge *
- Kingsdown
- Lydden
- Nonington
- Preston (Dover) *
- Sandwich
- Sholden
- Sibertswold
- St Margaret's at Cliffe
- Weddington
- Whitfield (Dover)
- Wingham
- Woodnesborough
- Worth
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Dover.)
Dover compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Dover compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Dover has 17 electoral wards.
Dover has a population of 119,768 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Dover can be found on the ONS statistics for Dover.