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BELFAST - IRELAND
Belfast is the largest city in Northern Ireland and the Irish Province of
Ulster, with a population of 277,391. It is the seat of government for
Northern Ireland, and in times past this was located at Hillsborough
fort. Belfast is the county town for County Antrim.
General information
The name Belfast originates from the Irish Béal Feirste, or the mouth of
the Farset, the river on which the city was built. Interestingly, the
river Farset has been superseded by the River Lagan as the most
important river; the Farset now languishes under Bridge Street in
obscurity .
Belfast is situated at the mouth of the River Lagan on Belfast Lough
and is surrounded by hills (Black Mountain and Cavehill - the famous
Napoleon's nose is a basaltic outcrop here which forms the border with
neighbouring Glengormley). The Lagan riverfront has been regenerated,
and much of the city centre is pedestrianised.
The City Hall, dating from 1903, Queen's University, Belfast (1849), and
other Victorian and Edwardian buildings display a large number of
sculptures. Among the grandest buildings are two former banks: Ulster
Bank (1860) and Northern Bank (1769).
The world's largest dry dock is here, and the giant cranes of the
Harland and Wolff shipyard can be seen from afar. Other long gone
industries included Irish linen and rope-making. The University of
Ulster also maintains a campus in the city, which concentrates in arts.
The west of the city is known for its murals, reflecting the political
and religious allegiances of the two communities. The Shankhill Road,
which is entirely Protestant, has murals depicting loyalty to the
British Crown, the Ulster Volunteer Force, and other loyalist
paramilitaries. Conversely, murals on the Falls Road, entirely Catholic,
feature political themes like a united Ireland, and the Irish Republican
Army, as well as traditional folklore and the Irish language.
The city has two airports Belfast City Airport adjacent to Belfast Lough
and Belfast International Airport which is near Lough Neagh.
History
The site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze ages, and the
remains of Iron Age hill forts can still be seen.
In the early 17th century Belfast was settled by English and Scottish
settlers, under a plan to colonise the area drawn up by Sir Arthur
Chichester. This caused much tension with the existing population who
rebelled in 1641. It was later settled by French Huguenots who
established a sizeable linen trade.
Belfast became the centre of Irish Protestantism, and in 1922 it was
declared the capital of Northern Ireland after Ireland was partitioned.
During the Second World War, Belfast was heavily bombed by German forces
due to its concentration of heavy shipbuilding and aerospace industries.
Much of the city was flattened.
For much of its history, Belfast has been racked by sectarian divisions
between Roman Catholics and Protestants, and was hit hard by The
Troubles of the 1960s-1990s.
Local Politics
In 2001, the voters of Belfast elected 10 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP),
11 Ulster Unionist Party, 3 Progressive Unionist Party, 1 Ulster
Democratic Party, 3 Alliance, 9 SDLP, and 14 Sinn Féin Councillors to
the City Council. The City Council is in no overall control, and is
largely run by committee.
Belfast has four UK parliamentary and Assembly constituencies - North
Belfast, West Belfast, South Belfast and East Belfast. All four extend
somewhat beyond the city boundaries into parts of Castlereagh, Lisburn
and Newtownabbey districts. In 2001, these elected 2 DUP MPs, 1 Ulster
Unionist MP and 1 Sinn Féin MP. In 2003, they elected 6 DUP, 5 Ulster
Unionist, 1 PUP, 1 Alliance, 4 SDLP and 7 Sinn Fein members of the
Northern Ireland Assembly.
Home of the News Letter, the oldest newspaper in the world still in
publication .
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