A largely unionist constituency, North Down is home to one of Northern Ireland's most affluent areas, Cultra.
Located along the southern shores of Belfast Lough, it is also one of Northern Ireland’s most unpredictable constituencies.
It takes in the whole of North Down District Council and Donaghadee in Ards District Council.
In 2007, the UUP held two Assembly seats here, as did the DUP, with the other two occupied by the Greens and the Alliance Party.
Alan McFarland is one of four MLAs who changed designation during the course of the last term of the Assembly, leaving the UUP and becoming an independent member last year.