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Salisbury Plain is a 300 sq mi (780 km²) chalk plateau in central southern England. The plain is sparsely populated and the principal land uses are arable agriculture, chalk grassland, military institutions, and a few small areas of beech and coniferous woodland. The plain is the largest remaining area of calcareous grassland in northwest Europe.
The Wylye , AvonThe River Avon is a river in the county of Hampshire in the south of England. It rises in Wiltshire, flows south through Salisbury, Fordingbridge and Ringwood. and into the English Channel at Christchurch in Dorset. The Avon Valley Path goes from Salisbur and BourneThe River Bourne is a river in the English county of Wiltshire, and a tributary of the River Avon. The Bourne's source is near the village of Burbage and it flows through the villages of Collingbourne Kingston, Collingbourne Ducis, Tidworth, Porton, Winte valleyThis article is about the physical-geographic term. For places named "Valley" see Valley (disambiguation). Fljotsdalur in East- Iceland A valley is a landform, typically at least a few square miles (kilometers) but often hundreds or even thousands of squas cut through the plainIn geography, a plain is a flat, largely treeless expanse of land. Plains may be more suitable for farming than plateaus or mountains. Famous plains can be found in North America and in Russia. List of famous plains: Australian Plains Indo-Gangetic plain. They have narrow flood plainFlood Plain along Lynches River Johnsonville, South CarolinaShowing high water mark on tupelo and cypress trees In geography, a flood plain is a plain formed of sediment, typically dropped by a river. When the slope down which a river runs has become verys, steep sides, and relatively high population densityIf you were linked from a country article: the density there is based on land area, see below Population density can be used as a measurement of any tangible item. However it is most frequently applied to living organisms. Population density is usually ex. All three valleys flow down to Salisbury where the riverMurray River in Australia Australia A river is a large natural waterway. It is a specific term in the vernacular for large streams, stream being the umbrella term used in the scientific community for all flowing natural waterways. In the vernacular, streas meet. Durrington and Amesbury are the only towns on the plain, though there are a number of small villages and hamlets. The A303 cuts across the plain, and a tunnel is soon to be constructed to protect Stonehenge from the damage done by the huge volume of traffic which passes just metres from the stones.
The Hampshire Downs and the Berkshire and Marlborough Downs are chalk downland to the east and north of Salisbury Plain, and the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase are to the southwest. In the west and northwest the geology is mainly of the clays and limestones of the Blackmore Vale, Avon Vale and Vale of Wardour . To the south is the New Forest.
Salisbury Plain has featured in the writings of William Wordsworth, Thomas Hardy, William Henry Hudson, and A.G. Street and in the paintings of Constable.
The plain is one of the Ministry of Defence and NATO's principal training grounds because of the sparse population. Because of the large training areas inaccessible to the public, the plain is also a wildlife haven, and home to two National Nature Reserves, but there is concern that the low level of grazing on the plain could allow scrub to encroach on the grassland.
The plain is also home to DSTL Porton Down, a laboratory whose work is shrouded in secrecy.