n.
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 .