Isle of Wight
§ This page gives an overview of the Isle of Wight 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 ⁞ Isle of Wight is a ceremonial county and unitary authority located just off the Hampshire coast in the English Channel. Known for its coastal beauty, sailing culture, and annual music festivals, it’s the largest island in England. The island is administered by the Isle of Wight Council and retains a distinct identity with its own traditions, tourism-driven economy, and historical significance dating back to Roman and Victorian times.
The administrative boundary of Isle of Wight can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Isle of Wight.
Key Facts about Isle of Wight
What region is Isle of Wight in? Isle of Wight is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Isle of Wight in? Isle of Wight is in the county of Isle of Wight.
Is Isle of Wight a city? No, Isle of Wight is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Isle of Wight? The local government for this district is: Isle of Wight Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of Isle of Wight Council 🔗 iow.gov.uk
Which police force covers Isle of Wight? Policing in Isle of Wight is provided by Hampshire Constabulary 🔗 hampshire.police.uk, which serves 14 local authority districts: Basingstoke and Deane ⁞ East Hampshire ⁞ Eastleigh ⁞ Fareham ⁞ Gosport ⁞ Hart ⁞ Havant ⁞ Isle of Wight ⁞ New Forest ⁞ Portsmouth ⁞ Rushmoor ⁞ Southampton ⁞ Test Valley ⁞ Winchester.
Isle of Wight in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Isle of Wight is within one of ITLs Level 2 area, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, that contains the following 6 ITLs Level 3 areas:
(ITL 1) South East
(ITL 2) ⇒ Hampshire and Isle of Wight
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Portsmouth ⁞ Southampton ⁞ Isle of Wight ⁞ South Hampshire ⁞ Central Hampshire ⁞ North Hampshire
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Isle of Wight
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 Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight is divided into 39 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bembridge
- Binstead & Fishbourne
- Brading & St Helens
- Brighstone, Calbourne & Shalfleet
- Carisbrooke & Gunville
- Central Rural
- Chale, Niton & Shorwell
- Cowes Medina
- Cowes North
- Cowes South & Northwood
- Cowes West & Gurnard
- East Cowes
- Fairlee & Whippingham
- Freshwater North & Yarmouth
- Freshwater South
- Haylands & Swanmore
- Lake North
- Lake South
- Mountjoy & Shide
- Nettlestone & Seaview
- Newchurch, Havenstreet & Ashey
- Newport Central
- Newport West
- Osborne
- Pan & Barton
- Parkhurst & Hunnyhill
- Ryde Appley & Elmfield
- Ryde Monktonmead
- Ryde North West
- Ryde South East
- Ryde West
- Sandown North
- Sandown South
- Shanklin Central
- Shanklin South
- Totland & Colwell
- Ventnor & St Lawrence
- Wootton Bridge
- Wroxall, Lowtherville & Bonchurch
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 Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight is fully parished: 33 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Arreton
- Bembridge
- Brading
- Brighstone
- Calbourne, Newtown and Porchfield
- Chale
- Chillerton and Gatcombe
- Cowes
- East Cowes
- Fishbourne
- Freshwater
- Godshill
- Gurnard
- Havenstreet and Ashey
- Lake
- Nettlestone and Seaview
- Newchurch
- Newport and Carisbrooke
- Niton and Whitwell
- Northwood
- Rookley
- Ryde
- Sandown
- Shalfleet
- Shanklin
- Shorwell
- St Helens
- Totland
- Ventnor
- Whippingham
- Wootton Bridge
- Wroxall
- Yarmouth
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 Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight covers 37 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Alverstone Garden Village
- Arreton
- Bembridge
- Bouldnor
- Brading
- Brighstone
- Chale Green
- Cowes
- East Cowes
- Fishbourne (Isle of Wight)
- Freshwater and Totland
- Godshill (Isle of Wight)
- Great Thorness
- Hale Common
- Havenstreet
- Hillway
- Merstone
- Newchurch (Isle of Wight)
- Newport (Isle of Wight)
- Niton
- Norton (Isle of Wight)
- Pondwell
- Rookley
- Ryde
- Sandown
- Seaview and Nettlestone
- Shalfleet
- Shanklin
- Shorwell
- St Helens (Isle of Wight)
- Ventnor
- Whitwell (Isle of Wight)
- Winford (Isle of Wight)
- Wootton (Isle of Wight)
- Wroxall
- Yarmouth
- Yaverland
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 Isle of Wight.)
Isle of Wight compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Isle of Wight compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Isle of Wight has 39 electoral wards.
Isle of Wight has a population of 141,660 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Isle of Wight can be found on the ONS statistics for Isle of Wight.