In which city was Charles Dickens born?

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England. More precisely, he was born in Landport on Portsea Island, part of the Portsmouth area in Hampshire.

His birth took place on 7 February 1812 at 1 Mile End Terrace, now identified as 393 Commercial Road. His father, John Dickens, worked as a clerk in the Royal Navy Pay Office and was temporarily stationed in the district. Charles was the second of eight children born to John and Elizabeth Dickens.

Dickens did not spend most of his childhood in Portsmouth. The family moved to London in 1815, and later to Sheerness and Chatham in Kent, where he formed many of the childhood impressions that influenced his novels. Financial problems eventually forced his father into debtors' prison, and twelve-year-old Charles was sent to work in a boot-blacking factory—a traumatic experience reflected in works such as David Copperfield and Great Expectations.