Suffolk

This article is about the county in England. For other uses, see Suffolk (disambiguation).

Suffolk
Non-metropolitan and ceremonial county
The village of Orford from Orford Ness, Ipswich waterfront, and the Norman Tower, Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk within England
Coordinates: 52°12′N 1°00′E / 52.200°N 1.000°E / 52.200; 1.000
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast
EstablishedAncient
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
UK ParliamentList of MPs
PoliceSuffolk Constabulary
Ceremonial county
Lord LieutenantClare FitzRoy, Countess of Euston
High SheriffBridget McIntyre[1] (2020–21)
Area3,800 km2 (1,500 sq mi)
 • Rank8th of 48
Population 
(2022)[2]
768,555
 • Rank33rd of 48
Density202/km2 (520/sq mi)
Ethnicity
97.2% White
Non-metropolitan county
County councilSuffolk County Council
ControlConservative
Admin HQIpswich
Area3,800 km2 (1,500 sq mi)
 • Rank4th of 21
Population 
(2022)[3]
768,555
 • Rank14th of 21
Density202/km2 (520/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2GB-SFK
GSS codeE10000029
ITLUKH14
Websitesuffolk.gov.uk
Districts

Districts of Suffolk
Districts
  1. Ipswich
  2. East Suffolk
  3. Mid Suffolk
  4. Babergh
  5. West Suffolk

Suffolk (/ˈsʌfək/ SUF-ək) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county town.

The county has an area of 3,798 km2 (1,466 sq mi) and a population of 758,556. After Ipswich (144,957) in the south, the largest towns are Lowestoft (73,800) in the north-east and Bury St Edmunds (40,664) in the west. Suffolk contains five local government districts, which are part of a two-tier non-metropolitan county also called Suffolk.

The Suffolk coastline is a complex habitat, formed by London clay and crag underlain by chalk and therefore susceptible to erosion. It contains several deep estuaries, including those of the rivers Blyth, Deben, Orwell, Stour, and Alde/Ore; the latter is 25.5 km (15.8 mi) long and separated from the North Sea by Orford Ness, a large spit. Large parts of the coast are backed by heath and wetland habitats, such as Sandlings.[4] The north-east of the county contains part of the Broads, a network of rivers and lakes. Inland, the landscape is flat and gently undulating, and contains part of Thetford Forest on the Norfolk border and Dedham Vale on the Essex border.

It is also known for its extensive farming and has largely arable land. Newmarket is known for horse racing, and Felixstowe is one of the largest container ports in Europe.[5]

  1. ^ "No. 62943". The London Gazette. 13 March 2020. p. 5161.
  2. ^ "Mid-2022 population estimates by Lieutenancy areas (as at 1997) for England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Features and Habitats". coastandheaths.org. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Top 50 Container Ports in Europe". World Shipping Council. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2015.