South West England is one of the regions of England. It is in the south-west of the United Kingdom, and covers the area known as the West Country and much of the historical area of Wessex, although omitting Hampshire. Although referendums are planned on whether elected assemblies should be set up in some of the regions, there is none planned in the South West.
It was originally divided into just Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Since then, Avon has been abolished, and many districts have separated from their original county.
South West England is one of the constituencies used for elections to the European Parliament. From the 2004 election onwards, Gibraltar is to be considered part of the region.
There is some controversy over the status of Cornwall within the region. While many consider it part of England, a significant minority consider it to be a nation in its own right. Most of these do not advocate independence, however, but devolution outside an artificial "Devonwall"/"South West" region. A petition for a Cornish assembly has received over 50,000 signatures.
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