Essex (/ˈɛsɪks/) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the south, Greater London to the south-west, and Hertfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Southend-on-Sea. The county has an area of 3,670 km2 (1,420 sq mi) and a population of 1,832,751. After Southend (180,686) the largest settlements are the city of Colchester (122,000), city of Chelmsford (125,000), and Basildon (107,133). The south of the county is very densely populated, and the remainder, besides the urban areas of Colchester and Chelmsford, is rural. For administrative purposes Essex is divided into fourteen districts; twelve are part of a two-tier non-metropolitan county governed by Essex County Council and twelve district councils, and the Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea districts are governed by unitary authorities. The historic county included the area to the east of the River Lea which is now part of the London boroughs of Waltham Forest, Newham, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, and Havering. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)