Essex (/ˈɛsɪks/) is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Greater London to the south and south-west. There are three cities in Essex: Southend, Colchester and Chelmsford, in order of population. For the purposes of government statistics, Essex is placed in the East of England region.[3][4] There are four definitions of the extent of Essex, the widest being the ancient county. Next, the largest is the former postal county, followed by the ceremonial county, with the smallest being the administrative county—the area administered by the County Council, which excludes the two unitary authorities of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea. The ceremonial county occupies the eastern part of what was, during the Early Middle Ages, the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Essex. As well as rural areas and urban areas, it forms part of the wider Home Counties of England.

Quick facts: Essex, Sovereign state, Constituent country, ... ▼
Essex
Ceremonial county
Chelmsford, the county town of Essex
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
"Many Minds, One Heart"
Coordinates: 51°45′N 0°35′E
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast
EstablishedAncient
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time)
Members of ParliamentList of MPs
PoliceEssex Police
Ceremonial county
Lord LieutenantJennifer Tolhurst[1]
High SheriffMrs Julie Fosh[2](2020–21)
Area3,670 km2 (1,420 sq mi)
 • Ranked11th of 48
Population (mid-2019 est.)1,832,752
 • Ranked7th of 48
Density499/km2 (1,290/sq mi)
Ethnicity
  • 90.8% White British
  • 3.6% Other White
  • 2.5% Asian
  • 1.3% Black
  • 1.5% Mixed
  • 0.3% Other
  • (2011)
Non-metropolitan county
County councilEssex County Council
ExecutiveConservative
Admin HQChelmsford
Area3,465 km2 (1,338 sq mi)
 • Ranked9th of 26
Population1,489,189
 • Ranked2nd of 26
Density431/km2 (1,120/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2GB-ESS
ONS code22
GSS codeE10000012
ITLUKH33
Websitewww.essex.gov.uk
Unitary authorities
CouncilsSouthend-on-Sea Borough Council
Thurrock Council
Districts

Districts of Essex
  Unitary   County council area
Districts
  1. Uttlesford
  2. Braintree
  3. Colchester
  4. Tendring
  5. Harlow
  6. Epping Forest
  7. City of Chelmsford
  8. Maldon
  9. Brentwood
  10. Basildon
  11. Rochford
  12. Castle Point
  13. City of Southend-on-Sea
  14. Thurrock
Close ▲