Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk, England, located on the estuary of the River Orwell, about 60 miles (97 km) north east of London. The town has been continuously occupied since the Saxon period, and its port has been one of England's most important for the whole of its history.

Ipswich is a non-metropolitan district. The urban development of Ipswich over spills the borough boundaries significantly, with 75% of the town's population living within the borough at the time of the 2011 Census, when it was the fourth-largest urban area in the United Kingdom's East of England region, and the 42nd largest urban area in England and Wales. In 2011, the town of Ipswich was found to have a population of 133,384,while the Ipswich built-up area is estimated to have a population of approximately 180,000.