Dover

Market town and seaport in Kent, southeast England, on the coast of the English Channel; population (2001) 34,100. It is Britain's nearest point to mainland Europe, 34 km/21 mi from Calais, France. Dover is the world's busiest passenger port and England's principal cross-channel port, with ferry, SeaCat (high-speed catamaran), and cross-channel train services. Industries include electronics, paper manufacturing, and light engineering.

As Roman Dubris, the port was an important naval base. The Roman beacon or ‘lighthouse’, dating from about 50 AD, in the grounds of the Norman castle, is one of the oldest Roman buildings in the country. Dover was the largest of the original Cinque Ports.

Features Dover is known for its white cliffs, and views from the castle keep, 116 m/380 ft above sea level, can include the French coast from Boulogne to Gravelines, the shoreline from Folkestone to Ramsgate, and many of the fortifications honeycombing the Dover cliffs. The White Cliffs Experience Museum illustrates the history of Dover from Roman times to World War II. The Roman Painted House describes the Roman occupation and includes Roman wall paintings and the remains of an underground Roman heating system. The Duke of York's Royal Military School is located in the town.

Dover Castle Dover Castle was built on the cliffs overlooking the town, on the site of earlier fortifications. An important military headquarters and defensive garrison for centuries, it has a massive keep built by Henry II in the 1180s, with walls 5–7 m/17–22 ft thick. The castle was seized by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War, and it was strengthened during the Napoleonic Wars. Within the grounds of the castle is the Saxon church of St Mary in Castro.

20th-century history The town was the centre of the Dover Patrol during World War I. Dover suffered considerable damage from bombing and shelling during World War II, and much of the town and the seafront have since been redeveloped. A network of tunnels underneath the castle known as Hellfire Corner, built originally during the Napoleonic Wars, was used during World War II as the control base for the Dunkirk evacuation. The Channel Tunnel, to the wast of Dover, opened in 1994.

Harbour and docks The harbour is divided into three main areas incorporating the outer harbour, the seaward boundary of which is the south breakwater, the west docks, and the east docks. The west docks include the Hoverport; Admiralty Pier, the main operating point for cross-channel services; the Prince of Wales' Pier; the train ferry dock; and the tidal basin with the Granville and Wellington Docks. The east docks comprise berths, the industrial land area, and the east docks' car ferry terminal, opened in 1953.

Dover

City and administrative headquarters of Strafford County, southeast New Hampshire, on the Cocheco River, 23 km/14 mi northwest of Portsmouth; population (1990) 25,000. Industries include machinery, plastics, lumber, electronics, rubber, and aluminium products.

The community (originally called Bristol and Northam) was settled by Europeans in 1623 and was the site of several violent conflicts between early settlers and American Indians, including the Cocheco Massacre (1689). Dover was incorporated as a city in 1855.

Dover

Capital of Delaware, USA, located in the central part of the state, on the Dover River, 72 km/45 mi south of Wilmington; seat of Kent County; population (2000 est) 32,100. It is an agricultural trade centre. Industries include synthetic materials, adhesives, latex, resins, chemicals, food products, and space equipment.

Dover was founded on English Quaker William Penn's orders in 1683. It was laid out in 1717 and has been the state capital since 1777.

Dover has 21 entries on the National Register of Historic Places including the Old Statehouse (1792) and the Delaware State Museum. It is the seat of several colleges including Wesley College (1873) and Delaware State College (1891). Dover Air Base has the largest air-cargo terminal for the Military Air Transport Service. Dover is the burial place of the American patriot Caesar Rodney, signatory of the Declaration of Independence.