Editing East Sussex (section)

==Geography==

===Geology===
{{main|Geology of East Sussex}}
[[File:Seven Sisters 3.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Beachy Head]] and [[Belle Tout Lighthouse]], [[Eastbourne]], East Sussex]]

Geologically, East Sussex is part of southern [[anticline]] of the [[Weald]]: the [[South Downs]], a range of moderate [[chalk]] hills which run across the southern part of the county from west to east and mirrored in [[Kent]] by the [[North Downs]]. To the north lie parallel valleys and ridges, the highest of which is the Weald itself (the Hastings beds and Wealden Clay). The sandstones and clays meet the sea at Hastings; the Downs, at [[Beachy Head]]. The area contains significant reserves of shale oil, totalling 4.4 billion [[Barrel (unit)|barrels of oil]] in the Wealden basin according to a 2014 study, which then Business and Energy Minister [[Michael Fallon]] said "will bring jobs and business opportunities" and significantly help with UK energy self-sufficiency. [[Hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom|Fracking]] in the area is required to achieve these objectives, which has been opposed by environmental groups.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/massive-oil-reserves-lie-under-commuter-belt-in-south-says-report-9424232.html|title=Massive oil reserves lie under commuter belt in South, says report|last=Prynn|first=Jonathan|date=23 May 2014|work=[[London Evening Standard]]|page=8 |access-date=26 November 2018 |archive-date=27 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127022608/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/massive-oil-reserves-lie-under-commuter-belt-in-south-says-report-9424232.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{See also|List of hills of East Sussex}}

===Climate===
East Sussex, like most counties by the south coast, has an annual average total of around 1,750<ref name="Englandclimate">{{cite web |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/location/england/index.html |title=Met Office:English Climate |access-date=4 August 2007 |publisher= Met Office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525051524/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/location/england/index.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=25 May 2007}}</ref> hours of sunshine per year. This is much higher than the UK's average of about 1,340 hours of sunshine a year.

===Relief and drainage===
The relief of the county reflects the geology.

The [[chalk]] uplands of the [[South Downs]] occupies the coastal strip between Brighton and Eastbourne. There are two river gaps: the [[River Ouse, Sussex|Rivers Ouse]] and [[River Cuckmere|Cuckmere]]. The [[Seven Sisters, Sussex|Seven Sisters]], where the Downs meet the sea, are the remnants of dry valleys cut into the chalk; they end at [[Beachy Head]], 530&nbsp;feet (162&nbsp;m) above sea level. To the east of Beachy Head lie the marshlands of the [[Pevensey]] Levels, formerly flooded by the sea but now enclosed within a deposited beach. At [[Bexhill-on-Sea|Bexhill]] the land begins to rise again where the sands and clays of the Weald meet the sea; these culminate in the sandstone cliffs east of Hastings. Further east are the [[Pett]] Levels, more marshland, beyond which is the estuary of the [[River Rother (Eastern)|River Rother]]. On the far side of the estuary are the [[dune]]s of [[Camber Sands]]. The highest point in the county is [[Ditchling Beacon]] on the South Downs, which has a maximum elevation of {{cvt|248|m|ft}}<ref>{{cite book |last= Bathurst |first= David |year= 2012 |title= Walking the county high points of England |location= Chichester |publisher= Summersdale |isbn= 978-1-84-953239-6 |pages= 69–75}}</ref> and is classed as a [[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]].

The [[Weald]] occupies the northern borderlands of the county. Between the Downs and Weald is a narrow stretch of lower lying land; many of the rivers and streams occupying this area originate in the Weald. The High Weald is heavily wooded in contrast to the South Downs; the Low Weald less so. Part of the Weald is the [[Ashdown Forest]].

===Settlements===
{{see also|List of places in East Sussex|List of settlements in East Sussex by population}}
The location of settlements in East Sussex has been determined both by its history and its geography. The original towns and villages tended to be where its economy lay: fishing along the coast and agriculture and iron mining on the Weald. Industry today tends to be geared towards tourism, particularly along the coastal strip where towns such as [[Bexhill-on-Sea]], [[Eastbourne]], and [[Hastings]] are located. [[Newhaven, East Sussex|Newhaven]] and [[Rye, East Sussex|Rye]] are ports, although the latter is also of historical importance. [[Peacehaven]] and [[Seaford, East Sussex|Seaford]] serve as [[dormitory town]]s. Away from the coast are former market towns such as [[Hailsham]], [[Heathfield, East Sussex|Heathfield]] and [[Uckfield]]; [[Crowborough]] is a centre for the Ashdown Forest. [[Lewes]], the [[County town]] of East Sussex; [[Battle, East Sussex|Battle]], with its [[Norman Conquest]] beginnings, and [[Wadhurst]] are the other three towns of significance.