ABSTRACT
The wider South East comprises London and the metropolitan region (see Figure 13.1). It is an exceptionally large and unusually diverse region. Its population of 18.5 million is larger than that of many nation states. The different parts of the region exhibit a wide range of social, geographical and economic characteristics. These vary, for example, from the wealthy and economically dynamic areas of Central and West London and the Thames Valley to the relatively deprived and economically depressed parts of the Thames Gateway and of the Isle of Thanet to the east.
