The district also contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge and Salcombe and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

The neighbouring districts are Torbay, Teignbridge, West Devon, Cornwall (across the Tamar–Tavy Estuary) and Plymouth.

[4] In 1917, the village of Hallsands was abandoned after much of it was lost to the sea following the removal of the shingle bank protecting the shore to help build Devonport dockyard.

Preparations were disrupted, and secrecy nearly compromised, by a devastating E-boat attack during Exercise Tiger.

[24] The main house dates back to the early nineteenth century and is a Grade II* listed building.

South Hams' widespread tourism multiplied on the dualling of the A38 and time-cutting construction of the M5 and A303 across other parts of south-west England.

In the north, there is...the "wildscape"—...[a new] bypass [to the A30, the A38]...cut[s] through some of the most beautiful country in Britain, that of the Dartmoor national park....while in the south-west there is extensive mining of china clay...[an abortive] tungsten mine in the Shaugh Prior — Sparkwell area will be [would have been] amongst the largest in the world and probably the largest in Europe.

The second band is the agricultural belt of lush, fertile farmland which produces some of the finest milk and Devon cream.

Within that belt are the medieval towns of Modbury and Totnes and small hamlets and villages such as...Holbeton, Marldon and Berry Pomeroy.

The third band is the Heritage coast [and South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty], running from near the fishing port of Brixham through Churston,[b] Kingswear, Dartmouth, Slapton Sands, Torcross, East Prawle, Salcombe and Bigbury Bay almost to the boundaries of Plymouth in Heybrook bay.

[28]The South Hams, along with nearby Broadsands in Paignton, is the last British refuge of the cirl bunting.