The Jurassic Coast is the popular (and now official) name given to a 95 mile (155 km) long stretch of coastline in southern England, incorporating parts of the east Devon and Dorset coasts.  The Jurassic Coast was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2001 on account of its importance to geology, palaeontology and the sheer beauty of it’s landscape. The area attracts hundreds of thousands of fossil hunters, hikers, campers and beach-goers each year. Many of the earliest recognised scientific dinosaur discoveries were made along the Jurassic Coast in the early 19th century, promoting the rise of the science of palaeontology.