Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is 33 kilometres (21 mi) east of Dorchester, and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019 the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council which is a unitary authority. Poole had an estimated population of 151,500 (mid 2016 census estimates) making it the second largest town in the ceremonial county of Dorset. Together with Bournemouth and Christchurch, Poole has a total population of over 465,000.