Dover
Dover is an important port on the south coast of England in Kent, south-east of Canterbury. Dover is the landing point for many pilgrims to Canterbury and has been an important coastal town since Roman times when it was known as Portus Dubris .
The Romans occupied Dover between 55 BC and AD 43, building part of their defensive wall around the settlement.
Dover is known for its white cliffs, which are made of chalk - a sedimentary rock formed from the shells of tiny, sea animals called coccoliths. Dover's chalk cliffs are part of the Dover Downs.
The Dover Strait is a narrow stretch of water that separates England from France and lies to the east of Dover. It describes an area approximately 34 km long by 10 km wide, running from south-east to north-west facing Dover with St Margaret's Bay on its south side and The Downs on the north. Dover is in fact at one end of this stretch, with an unusual break in the cliffs where the River Dour drains into Dover Harbour serving ferries travelling to and from Dover to Calais or Boulogne in France.
The Strait has always been of great importance to coastal shipping traffic between England and mainland Europe.