Chichester District occupies the western part of West Sussex, bordering on
Hampshire to the west and
Surrey to the north. The districts of
Arun and
Horsham abut to the east; the
English Channel to the south. The district is divided by the
South Downs escarpment, with the northern part being in the
Weald, composed of a mixture of
sandstone ridges and low-lying
clays known as the Western Weald. To the south the
dip slope of the downs falls gently to a flat coastal plain and the sea. The Western Weald is drained by the
River Arun and its tributaries including the rivers Lox,
Kird and especially the
River Rother and its tributaries the
River Lod and the Haslingbourne Stream. On the northern boundary
Blackdown is the highest point in Sussex, while further east around
Loxwood the land is low and quite flat. The south of the district has many permeable chalk and gravel areas and is drained by two
winterbournes, the
River Lavant and
River Ems, which are usually dry in the summer. The large inlet known as
Chichester Harbour and the headland of
Selsey Bill are conspicuous features of the coast. The district, apart from the few main roads, is generally rural in character, as can be seen by the number of villages within it. Apart from the coastal strip there are few main roads, and the erstwhile
railways which once served Midhurst have long been closed. ==Civil parishes==