Belfast General Information History Local Politics

Belfast city

Geography
Area: - Total - % Water	Ranked 23rd 115 km² ? %
Admin HQ:	Belfast
ISO 3166-2:	GB-BFS
ONS code:	95Z
Demographics
Population: - Total ( April 29, 2001) - Density	Ranked 1st 277,391 2,415 / km²
Community:	Protestant: 48.6% Catholic: 47.2
Politics
Belfast City Council http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk
MPs:	Gerry Adams Nigel DoddsNigel Alexander Dodds OBE (born August 20, 1958) is a barrister and Northern Ireland unionist politician. He is Member of Parliament for North Belfast, and a member of the Democratic Unionist Party. He has been Lord Mayor of Belfast twice, and from 1993 h Peter RobinsonSeveral notable people are called Peter Robinson For the Northern Ireland politician Peter David Robinson, see Peter Robinson (politician) For the English-born Canadian-based detective novelist, see Peter Robinson (novelist) For Ronald Reagan's former spe Martin SmythReverend Martin Smyth (born June 15, 1931) is a Northern Ireland unionist politician, and Member of Parliament for South Belfast. He is a member of the Ulster Unionist Party He used to be Grand Master of the Orange Order, and has been MP for the seat sinc

Belfast is the largest city in Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is the smallest of the Home Nations of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland lies in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It covers 14,139 square kilometres (5,459 square miles), and has a populati and the Irish Province of UlsterSee also Ulster, New York, United States. Ulster ( Irish: Ulaidh forms one of the historical provinces of Ireland. Six of its nine counties, Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, are known together as Northern Ireland, and are part of t, with a population of 277,391. It is the seat of government for Northern Ireland, and in times past this was located at HillsboroughHillsborough Cromghlinn in Irish) is a small, pretty and historical Georgian village situated only 12 miles from the capital city of Belfast. Hillsborough Castle is the official residence of the Queen (and other royal family members) when visiting the pro fort. Belfast is the county townA county town is the location of the administrative headquarters of a county. In the case of Yorkshire in England, there are three county towns, one for each Riding: Northallerton for the North Riding, Beverley for the East Riding, and Wakefield for the W for County AntrimCounty Antrim Aontroim in Irish) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. Covering an area of 2,844 km², it has a population of approximately 566,000. The county town is Antrim. Other notable towns and cities in Antrim include: Belfast (partially i.

1 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- and to the south the Castlereagh Hills). 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 (Samson and Goliath) 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 north 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 See also

Belfast Peace Lines

5 External links

United Kingdom | Ireland | Northern Ireland | Districts of Northern Ireland

Cities in Ireland

Northern Ireland: Belfast | Derry | Armagh | Newry | Lisburn

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