Dorset, once called Dorsetshire, is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The main county town is Dorchester, situated in the south of the county. Around half of the Dorset's population lives in the South East Dorset conurbation. The rest of the county is largely rural with a relatively low population density. Dorset's motto is 'Who's Afear'd'.

Dorset is famous for its beautiful coastline, the Jurassic Coast, which features landforms such as Lulworth Cove, the Isle of Portland, Chesil Beach and Durdle Door, as well as the holiday resorts of Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Swanage, and Lyme Regis.

Dorset is the setting of the novels of Thomas Hardy, who was born near Dorchester. The county has a long history of human settlement and some notable archaeology, including the hill forts of Maiden Castle and Hod Hill.

Originally, the main industry in Dorset was agriculture. This is not still the case, but there is still a lot of evidence of the industry. The beautiful managed landscape and meeting tractors on awkward roads is still testament to the presence of agriculture in Dorset.

One of Dorset's famous products is the Dorset Knob, a hard biscuit. It can be used as an accompaniment to cheese, especially the local Dorset cheese, Blue Vinney.

Tourism has grown as an industry in Dorset since the early 19th century. 4.2 million British tourists and 260,000 foreign tourists visited the county in 2002, spending a combined total of £768 million.

Dorset will host the only Olympic event at the 2012 Summer Olympics held outside London – sailing – at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in Portland Harbour. Weymouth and Portland's waters have been credited by the Royal Yachting Association as amongst the best in Northern Europe.