| Ards Borough | |
|---|---|
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| Area | 376 km2 (145 sq mi) Ranked 20th of 26 |
| District HQ | Newtownards |
| Catholic | 12.7% |
| Protestant | 76.9% |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Councillors |
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| Website | www |
Ards (named after the Ards Peninsula) was a local government district in Northern Ireland with the status of borough. It was one of twenty-six districts formed on 1 October 1973, and had its headquarters in Newtownards. It was merged with neighbouring North Down on 1 May 2015 to form the new Borough of Ards and North Down. Other towns in the defunct Borough included Portaferry, Comber, and Donaghadee, and the population of the area was 78,078 according to the 2011 census.
Strangford Lough is at the heart of the area, and is the largest inlet in Ireland with internationally renowned wildlife. The Irish Sea coast stretches from Donaghadee to Portaferry. Mount Stewart, a National Trust property on the shore of Strangford Lough, is in the area, as well as Northern Ireland's only aquarium, Exploris, in Portaferry and Grace Neill's pub in Donaghadee.[citation needed]