Introduction
Map/Still:Belfast, Northern Ireland
* Belfast, Northern Ireland
The capital, largest city, and most important port of Northern Ireland is Belfast. It is located in the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, where the River Lagan flows into an extension of the Irish Sea. For much of the 20th century Belfast was torn by violence between its Protestant and Roman Catholic residents. A peace agreement signed in 1998, however, helped end the fighting.
Places of interest
Belfast's traditional pubs, bars, shopping centers, and parks are popular meeting places. Museums with exhibits on local history include the Ulster Museum, Fernhill House (The People's Museum), and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. The Odyssey complex, which opened in 2000–2001, has an interactive discovery center, IMAX and movie theaters, a 10,000-seat arena, and a shopping center. Queen's University of Belfast, founded in 1845, is the largest university in the city. Other schools include the University of Ulster at Belfast (1849) and Union Theological College (1853). Northern Ireland's government buildings are located at Stormont, a few miles east of the city center.
Economy
Belfast has a mixed economy, with many jobs in manufacturing, commerce, government, and services (such as banking, tourism, and entertainment). Major products include ships, aircraft, processed foods, and textiles. Passenger and freight shipping is important to the city as well.
History
People lived in the area that is now Belfast as early as 8,000 years ago. Until the 17th century, however, Belfast was just a small fishing village. At that time Scottish and English colonists arrived. The town expanded as the colonists built up a linen-cloth industry. After factories began using machines to spin and weave great quantities of cloth, Belfast became the most important linen-making town in Ireland. It also developed into a major shipbuilding center. The most famous ship built there was the ill-fated Titanic.
Belfast officially became a city in 1888. In 1920, when Northern Ireland was separated from the rest of Ireland, Belfast was made the capital of Northern Ireland. Because of the city's industrial strength, the German air force bombed it in 1941, during World War II.
The biggest problem faced by Belfast in the 20th century, however, was the conflict between the city's Protestant majority and Catholic minority. The issue was Great Britain's rule over Northern Ireland. The Protestants wanted Britain, which is mostly Protestant, to maintain its control over the region. The Catholics wanted Northern Ireland united with the country of Ireland, which is mostly Catholic. In the late 1960s Belfast's Catholics began protesting against unfair treatment by the city's Protestants. This led first to street riots and then to decades of deadly shootings and bombings. Many people left the city because of the violence. Belfast became more stable, however, after Catholics and Protestants signed a peace treaty in 1998. Population (2001 census), 277,391.
