User:Technologylegend15

BELFAST Known for being a major seaport, commercial and industrial center, this city is the cultural and political center for Northern Ireland. The city has 280,000 people and the Belfast metropolis has a population of over 1/2 million people. The city is 44 square miles in size. The predominant language here is English. A medium size city, it is the capital and gateway to Northern Ireland. The city is ringed with high hills surrounding a river valley. There are numerous sites to visit and activities to participate in. Some of these include the Botanic Gardens, Belfast Zoo, City Hall, Ulster Museum and the Belfast Castle. Serviced by Belfast International and Belfast City Airports. There are numerous flight routes into this city. A bus mass transit system aids in transportation about the city. The M1 and M2 are the major motorways throughout the city. The Belfast economy is shipping and manufacturing based. It is a very important shipping and repair center. Manufacturing includes textiles, food, tobacco, defense and petroleum refined products. It is also the education and cultural center for the country. Belfasts history dates back to 1177 when a Norman castle was erected. England took control of the city in the 16th century. It was granted a charter of Incorporation in 1613. This led to Protestant immigration, many of whom were Scottish Presbyterians. By the 18th century, the harbor was improved and shipbuilding was begun on a large scale. This continues to this date and the world's largest dry dock is here. The shipyard's giant cranes can be seen towering over the port. In 1920, the city was made the capital of Northern Ireland. Political tensions remain to this date over the division of the island into two independent countries, Northern Ireland (part of the U.K. Great Britain) and the Republic of Ireland. During my visit (May, 2001) the tensions were very stable. I judged this by the lack of visible troops, comments by traveling companions (some of whom had lived in N. Ireland) and locals. The main concern at the time was in preventing foot and mouth diease from entering country through the airport. There were no issues in crossing the border near Sion Mills. However, political situations can change and visitors should be aware of this as they make their travel plans.

North Belfast