South East England is one of the nine official regions of England that are in the top level category for statistical purposes. South East England is the third-largest region of England, with a land area of 19, square kilometres 7, sq mi , and is also the most populous with a total population of 9,, in Officially it does not include London , which is a separate region. The geographical term for "South East England" may differ from the official definition of the region, for example London, Bedfordshire , Hertfordshire and Essex are sometimes referred to as being in the south east of England.
In medieval times , South East England included much of the Kingdom of Wessex , which was the precursor to the modern state of England. Winchester was the capital of England after unification of the various states, including the kingdoms of Kent , Sussex and Mercia. Winchester stopped being the administrative capital of England some time in the 13th century as its influence waned while the City of London dominated commerce.
Today, the region's close proximity to London has led to South East England becoming a prosperous economic hub with the largest economy of any region in the UK, after London.
The coastline along the English Channel provides numerous ferry crossings to mainland Europe. The River Thames flows through the region and its basin is known as the Thames Valley. The region has many universities; the University of Oxford is the oldest in the English-speaking world, and ranked among the best in the world.
Some of the events of the Summer Olympics were held in the south east, including the rowing at Eton Dorney and part of the cycling road race in the Surrey Hills. Much of the Battle of Britain was fought in this region, especially in Kent.
