Newtownards is regarded as a major town, townland and civil parish inside County Down, Northern Ireland. It is located at the most northern area of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, around the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town inside the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it comes with a populace of 27,821 individuals within 11,502 homes, positioning it in the "large town" class. Roughly 86 percent of the population is from a Protestant background and nine percent from a Catholic background. It is identified colloquially by local people as "Ards".