The parliamentary constituency of Harwich & North Essex is a large and predominantly rural part of Essex surrounding most of the town of Colchester and stretching north-eastwards to the port of Harwich and is situated within two district councils, those of Colchester Borough and Tendring.  It was formed as a result of the Boundary Commission Report of 2007.

North Essex parliamentary constituency stretches from the river Blackwater in the south to the Suffolk border in the north; the large town of Colchester is an enclave in the middle.

Though the constituency is largely rural, three small towns do exist: historic Wivenhoe near Essex University; Brightingsea at the mouth of the river Colne and West Mersea situated on an island in the Blackwater. None of these has more than 10,000 inhabitants.

Following the Boundary Commission for England's review of Parliamentary Boundaries, the constituency now also contains the historic town of Harwich and its constituent parts of Dovercourt and Parkeston.  Harwich is home to one of the busiest ports in the UK, acting as a gateway into the country from the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark in particular and, in more distant times, as the home port for the Mayflower, the ship of the Pilgrim Fathers