City and unitary authority (pop., 2001: 186,704), geographic and historic county of
Hampshire, southern England. The seaport city is a major naval base and, with Southsea, a popular holiday resort. Located on the island of Portsea in the
English Channel, Portsmouth was founded and received its first charter in 1194. A naval dockyard was established in 1496 and greatly expanded after 1698. Covering more than 300 acres (120 hectares), the dockyard is the city's main source of employment. Portsmouth suffered extensive damage from German bombing in World War II. Important industries are shipbuilding and aircraft engineering. The city was the birthplace of
Charles Dickens.
For more information on Portsmouth, visit Britannica.com.