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. This is one of 361 LAD 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.
Thanet Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Thanet local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Thanet can also 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
Thanet is divided into 2 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
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.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Thanet
Below is a list of post towns in Thanet, grouped by postcode area:
- CT ▸ Birchington (CT7 / CT9) ⁞ Broadstairs (CT10) ⁞ Margate (CT9) ⁞ Ramsgate (CT11 / CT12) ⁞ Westgate-on-Sea (CT8)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
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.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Thanet
Thanet is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Thanet Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Southeastern ▸ Ramsgate (CT11 7RE) ⁞ Margate (CT9 5AD) ⁞ Broadstairs (CT10 1HZ) ⁞ Birchington-On-Sea (CT7 9RD) ⁞ Westgate-On-Sea (CT8 8QY) ⁞ Thanet Parkway (CT12 5HN) ⁞ Minster (CT12 4HX) ⁞ Dumpton Park (CT11 7EW)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
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)
Population and Migration Trends in Thanet
This chart shows the population trend for Thanet from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Thanet can be found on the ONS statistics for Thanet.