Poole is a coastal town and seaport located on the south coast of England. It serves as a civil parish within the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset. The town is situated approximately 21 miles (34 km) east of Dorchester and shares a border with Bournemouth to its east.
With an estimated population of 151,500, Poole is the second-largest town in the ceremonial county of Dorset. It forms part of a larger conurbation that includes Bournemouth and Christchurch, which reached a total population of 400,196 as of the 2021 census.