Thanet
§ This page gives an overview of the Thanet 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 ⁞ Thanet is a coastal district in east Kent, comprising the seaside towns of Margate, Ramsgate, and Broadstairs. Margate has sandy beaches, Turner Contemporary gallery, and a revitalised Old Town, while Ramsgate is known for its Royal Harbour and maritime heritage. Broadstairs offers a charming seaside atmosphere with Dickensian associations and cliff-top walks. The coastline features chalk cliffs, bays, and sandy stretches, while the Isle of Thanet’s interior is dotted with villages and farmland. Thanet is strongly defined by its seaside geography and cultural identity.
The administrative boundary of Thanet can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Thanet.
Key Facts about Thanet
What region is Thanet in? Thanet is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Thanet in? Thanet is located in the county of Kent.
Is Thanet a city? No, Thanet is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Thanet? The local authority for this district is: Thanet 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 Thanet District Council 🔗 thanet.gov.uk
Which police force covers Thanet? Policing in Thanet 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 Thanet
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 Thanet
Thanet is divided into 23 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Beacon Road
- Birchington North
- Birchington South
- Bradstowe
- Central Harbour
- Cliffsend and Pegwell
- Cliftonville East
- Cliftonville West
- Dane Valley
- Eastcliff
- Garlinge
- Kingsgate
- Margate Central
- Nethercourt
- Newington
- Northwood
- Salmestone
- Sir Moses Montefiore
- St Peters
- Thanet Villages
- Viking
- Westbrook
- Westgate-on-Sea
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 Thanet
Thanet is part-parished: 11 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Acol
- Birchington
- Broadstairs and St. Peters
- Cliffsend
- Manston
- Minster
- Monkton
- Ramsgate
- Sarre
- St. Nicholas at Wade
- Westgate-on-Sea
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 Thanet
Thanet covers 7 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Broadstairs
- Cliffs End *
- Margate
- Minster (Thanet)
- Monkton (Thanet)
- Ramsgate
- St Nicholas at Wade
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 Thanet.)
Thanet compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Thanet compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Thanet has 23 electoral wards.
Thanet has a population of 142,691 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Thanet can be found on the ONS statistics for Thanet.