The Isle of Wight is a county in south east England with a population of 140,000 people. It is located off the south coast of Hampshire, and holds the distinction of being England's largest island. The island is separate from mainland England by an area of the sea called the Solent. You can get there by using a number of ferry services across the Solent from Southampton, Portsmouth or Lymington. You can also get a hovercraft to the island from Southsea. The local authority on the Isle of Wight is Isle of Wight Council whose website can be seen at www.iwight.com for a wide range of interesting information and resources regarding local services.

Known for its beauty, the Isle of Wight has a number of interesting places for people to explore, whether they are tourists on the sightseeing trail, historians looking for places of historic interest, railway enthusiasts or people who are interested in wildlife in all its different manifestations, whether they are birds, mammals, plants or insects. Paleontologists are keen on the island since it is one of the most prolific areas for dinosaur fossils in the whole of Europe.

The Isle of Wight is known for its sailing, and many people congregate there to participate in sailing, either on small boats or large catamarans or schooners. The base for these sailing activities is the town of Cowes on the island. Associated with this is a rich history of industries that sprang up over the years to support the vibrant sailing culture of the island. These industries include the making of sails, boats of all shapes and sizes including flying boats, and even the first hovercraft in the world which was made on the island.

Holidaymakers have flocked to the Isle of Wight since Victorian times. The island has numerous sandy beaches for people to enjoy. Children always love the beaches on the island because of the fine sand and the good seas.

Aficionados of rock music hold the Isle of Wight as a kind of shrine to music. In 1970 the Isle of Wight Festival was the biggest event in the world of rock music. Featuring the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Who, the Isle of Wight Festival was a Mecca for people wanting to celebrate the best in the world of rock music, and fans flocked to the festivals from all over the world. Another recently launched festival called Bestival features the best in what is known as Indie music, while the Isle of Wight International Jazz Festival has been popular with jazz fans for many years.

In AD 686 the Isle of Wight became the last part of England to convert to Christianity. Before that the people of the island were pagans. They had briefly converted to Christianity in AD 661 when the island was invaded by Wulfhere of Mercia who forced the islanders to become Christians at the threat of death by the sword. However as soon as he left the island they converted back to paganism.