Southern England, also known as South of England or The South, is sub-national part of England; with cultural, economic and political differing from both the Midlands and the North, the Midlands being a dialect chain in a notable north–south divide of England. The sub-national area's official population is nearly 28 million and an area of : roughly 40% of United Kingdom's population and approximately a quarter of its area. Influencal, geographic and political divisions have created multiple internal indentities to the sub-national area of England. The influencial divide is defined by closeness to the capital; the Greater London itself, the Home Counties and outer areas. The Home Counties idenify in a simular way to the neighbouring English Midlands, in this case sharing culture with London and the outer areas yet identifing separate to each. The geographic split is north-east (fenlands), south (downlands and a coastal plain) and west (following the River Thames to the Bristol channel and a peninsula). The north-east fenlands for example have been affected by the London's expansion; the traditional Cockney dialect's population of London's East End have moved out to the north and east Home Counties with a knock on affect to East Anglia's population. The political divide is the International Territorial Level; the regional level defines the south as London, the South East, the South West and the East Definitions For official purposes, the UK government does not refer to Southern England as a single entity, but the Office for National Statistics divides UK into twelve regions. In England, the North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber make up the North ("centre-north"); the West Midlands and East Midlands (as well as Wales) make up the Midlands ("centre-south") and the rest of England make up the South. Culturally speaking, the majority of people think that the South consists of the South East (92%), Greater London (88%), South West (87%), and to lesser extent the East of England (57%). However, 35% of people surveyed placed the East of England as part of the Midlands. Generally people in the North tend to put the East of England in the South more than people in the South or Midlands. Geography The South has a land border with the Midlands and a sea border with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The South is generally more low-lying than the North. There are a number of hill ranges, such as