As a student living and studying in Southampton, part of your daily life will involve contact with the city itself. For example, you can expect to do your shopping off campus and you may choose to live in a residential area away from the campus and enjoy the social life of the city centre.
These activities will introduce you to some important facts and points of interest about the city in which you will be living.
Activity 1: Southampton Quiz
How much do you already know about Southampton? Use this short quiz to test yourself.
Instruction
Read these statements about Southampton and select true if you think the statement is true and false if you think it is not. Then read the feedback to find out more.
Southampton is 30 minutes by train south west of London.
False
Southampton is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes by train south west of London. Some trains take longer - up to 2 hours. There is also a coach service connecting Southampton and London, which takes about two and a half hours.
Southampton has two main rivers running through it.
True
Southampton has two main rivers running through it - the River Test (to the west) and the River Itchen (to the east).
Southampton is near the Isle of Wight.
True
Southampton is near the Isle of Wight - just 55 minutes away by car ferry and 30 minutes by hydrofoil. The distance between Southampton and Cowes on the Isle of Wight is about 18 kms.
Southampton is a seaside resort with a sandy beach.
False
Southampton is not a seaside resort with a sandy beach. It is located inland at the head of Southampton water (an estuary) and is about 11 kms from the Solent where it then meets the open sea.
It never snows in Southampton.
False
It rarely snows in Southampton. However, in most years it snows at least once, and produces a light covering on the ground, which usually melts in a few hours. There was heavy snow in December 2009 and January 2010 - enough to shut the University for a day!
A typical summer temperature in Southampton can be 25 degrees Celsius.
True
A typical summer temperature in July and August can be 25 degrees Celsius. Southampton is generally both warmer and drier than many other parts of Britain during July and August. Although it can be cooler, the average range of summer temperature is from 18 to 30 degrees Celsius. However, recent summers have been wetter than normal. Here is a link to a webiste where you can find out the current weather in Southampton: Southampton weather centre
Southampton has one of the biggest shopping centres in southern England.
True
Southampton has one of the biggest shopping centres in southern England - it is called the West Quay Centre and is located right in the heart of the city centre. Here is a link to the website: West Quay Centre website
Southampton is the fourth biggest city in the UK.
False
Southampton is now estimated to be the 20th biggest city in the UK. The five biggest cities in order are: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool and Leeds.
Southampton has an airport.
True
Southampton has an airport - it is located in Eastleigh and is a short bus ride away or you can take the train one stop from Southampton Central station and get off at Southampton Airport Parkway. Here is a link to the website: Southampton Airport Parkway
Activity 2: Getting to know Southampton
In this activity you are going to find out more about Southampton by trying to answer these more challenging questions.
Instruction
Guess the answers to these questions about the city of Southampton if you don't know them and then check the feedback to see if you were right.
1. How many people do you think live in Southampton?
Approximately 229,000
The last census of 2001 showed the population of Southampton to be 217,600, and the most recent council estimate (2006) now indicates a population of 228,600.
To find out more about what the 2001 census revealed about Southampton go to this weblink: Census 2001
2. Which county is Southampton situated in?
Hampshire
Like many other British counties such as Warwickshire and Shropshire, the name of the county of Hampshire ends in 'shire'. How many others do you know?
To find out more about the 86 British counties and find Hampshire on the map visit this weblink: Counties of Britain
3. By which of these names has Southampton NOT been known during its history?
Soton
During the Roman period (around 70 AD) Southampton was known as Clausentum.
During the Saxon period (around 690-700 AD) Southampton was known as Hamwic (and Hamtun).
In contrast, 'Soton' is an abbreviation of Southampton sometimes found in written contexts today.
Look at the following weblink to see a short summary of the history of Southampton: Local History
4. What are Southampton's football team called?
The Saints
If you would like to support the local football team while you are living in Southampton and find out more about the Saints go to this website: Southampton FC
5. Which famous ship set sail on an ill-fated voyage from the port of Southampton in April 1912?
The Titanic
The Titanic, one of the largest and most luxurious ships of the time, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage to New York in 1912. It sank and nearly all the passengers and crew on board drowned. Southampton is to have a major new tourist attraction dedicated to the Titanic in the near future.
Use this weblink find out more about the Titanic and its connections with various monuments and places around the modern city of Southampton, which you can see when you get here: The Titanic and Southampton
The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth to America in 1620. The passengers were pilgrims who settled in America and later became known as the founding fathers of America.
The QE2 (or Queen Elizabeth the second) is a modern transatlantic liner owned by the Cunard Shipping Company. The ship first sailed in 1969 and is still one of the largest passenger vessels in the world.
