THANET

district, administrative and historic county of Kent, England, in the extreme northeast of the county. It roughly coincides with the historic Isle of Thanet, but the modern administrative district extends south of the Great Stour River almost to Sandwich. The district's agriculture, traditionally concentrated on grains, now specializes in green vegetables and potatoes. Thanet has 26 miles (42 km) of coastline on the Thames Estuary and the Strait of Dover. The district has several seaside resorts, including Margate, Broadstairs, and Ramsgate, and more than one-third of the people living in Thanet are over 65 years of age. Increasing sea traffic between Ramsgate and French ports in the second half of the 20th century brought an expansion of related ground and air transportation facilities, warehousing, light industry, and hotels. Area 40 square miles (103 square km). Pop. (1998 est.) 126,700.