The white cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches up to 350 feet high, composites of pure white calcium carbonate.
The cliffs have great symbolic value for Britain because they face towards Continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel, where invasions have historically threatened and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard. Because crossing at Dover was the primary route to the continent before air travel, the white line of cliffs also formed the first or last sight of the UK for travellers.
