[4] Dover is classified as a Large-Port Town, due to its large volumes of port traffic and low urban population.

During the Cold War, a Regional Seat of Government was located within the White Cliffs beneath Dover Castle.

[9] The port would have served as an embarkation point for sending reinforcements to the British Army of the Rhine in the event of a Soviet ground invasion of Europe.

At the same time, this find also shows that trade routes across the Channel between England and France existed already in the Bronze Age, or even earlier.

[11] Louis VIII of France landed his army, seeking to depose King Henry III, on Dover's mainland beach.

Henry III ambushed Louis' army with approximately 400 bowmen atop The White Cliffs of Dover and his cavalry attacking the invaders on the beach.

From South Foreland, the nearest point to the European mainland, Cap Gris Nez is 34 kilometres (21 mi) away across the Strait of Dover.

[12] The site of its original settlement lies in the valley of the River Dour, sheltering from the prevailing south-westerly winds.

The higher land on either side of the valley – the Western Heights and the eastern high point on which Dover Castle stands – has been adapted to perform the function of protection against invaders.

Dover has an oceanic climate (Köppen classification Cfb) similar to the rest of the United Kingdom with mild temperatures year-round and a light amount of rainfall each month.

In 1800, the year before Britain's first national census, Edward Hasted (1732–1812) reported that the town had a population of almost 10,000 people.

The new St James' Retail and Leisure Park opened in 2018 and is a southern extension of the town centre; it consists of shops, restaurants, a Travelodge Hotel and a Cineworld Cinema.

The English Channel, here at its narrowest point in the Straits of Dover, is the busiest shipping lane in the world.

The Scheme is controlled by the Channel Navigation Information Service based at Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre Dover.

The old Dover Marine railway station building houses one passenger terminal, together with a car park.

[23] The ferry lines using the port are (number of daily sailings in parentheses): These services have been cut in recent years:

Dover's main communications artery, the A2 road replicates two former routes, connecting the town with Canterbury.

In December 2020, a long line of freight trucks formed due to sudden border closures with France, because of new strains of COVID-19 within the United Kingdom.

With the introduction of the high-speed service into St Pancras International via High Speed 1, rail journey times between London and Dover were reduced to 55 minutes non-stop.

The Chatham Main Line into Priory was electrified under British Railways in 1959 as part of Stage 1 of Kent Coast Electrification, under the BR 1955 Modernisation Plan.

The walking routes from Dover pass the National Trust visitor centre on the landmark chalk cliffs overlooking the English Channel with views of France visible on a clear day.

Follows toll road (free to cyclists) through the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club to the town of Sandwich.

[35] The location of Dunkirk is also more convenient for those travelling by road transport on to countries in Northern Europe including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and further afield.

National Express runs coaches from Dover to other towns in Kent including Canterbury, Folkestone, Ashford, Kent, Maidstone, Gillingham at Hempsted Valley shopping centre and Greenhithe at Bluewater Shopping Centre for Dartford to London including Bexleyheath, Eltham, Walworth, Canary Wharf, Elephant & Castle, the City of London and to Victoria Coach Station.

Built from fibre reinforced composite (FRC) the boat is lightweight yet very strong and is designed to right itself in the event of a capsize.

The studios were located on Russell Street and were home to programmes like 'Scene South East', 'Scene Midweek', 'Southern News', 'Farm Progress' and the nightly epilogue, 'Guideline'.

The station was founded in Dover as Neptune Radio in September 1997 but moved to Folkestone in 2003 and was consequently rebranded after a takeover by the KM Group.

Dover is also served by the county-wide stations Heart South, Gold and BBC Radio Kent.

The online station of the same name launched on 30 July 2011 offering local programmes, music and news for Dover and district.

This is part of a trial broadcast of small scale FM services by OFCOM due to end in September 2022 but it maybe extended to serve the Gurkha community living at Burgoyne Heights.