Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel. The Dover Harbour Board is the responsible authority for the running of the Port of Dover. The English Channel, here at its narrowest point in the Straits of Dover, is the busiest shipping lane in the world.  The surrounding chalk cliffs have become known as the White cliffs of Dover. Forts were built above the port; lighthouses were constructed to guide ships; and one of the best-preserved Roman villas in Britain is here. Dover figured largely in the Domesday Book as an important borough. It also served as a bastion against various attackers: notably the French during the Napoleonic Wars; and against Germany during World War II.