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Belfast
Belfast (Béal Feirste in Irish) is a city in the United Kingdom. It is the largest city in Northern Ireland (of which it is the capital) and the province of Ulster, and is the second largest city in the island of Ireland. In the 2001 Census the population within the city limits (Belfast Urban Area) was 276,459, while c.800,000 people live in the Greater Belfast area or Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area. The city is situated at the south-western end of Belfast Lough, a long natural inlet ideal for the shipping trade that made the city famous, and near the mouth of the River Lagan. It is flanked by long stretches of hills, the Castlereagh Hills on the south and the Antrim Hills on the north. The city straddles the County Antrim and County Down boundary. The city recently gained the status of being the 2nd most popular city in the UK, above London and Glasgow, for short breaks.
The name Belfast originates from the Irish Béal Feirste, or the mouth of the Farset (feirste is the genitive of the word fearsaid, "a spindle"), 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 Interestingly, the river Farset has been superseded by the River Lagan as the most important river; the Farset now languishes under the High Street in obscurity. Bridge Street indicates where there was originally a bridge across the Farset.
Belfast saw the worst of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement has encouraged large-scale redevelopment, such as Victoria Square, Titanic Quarter and Laganside including the new Odyssey complex and sports arena. Much of the city centre has now been pedestrianised. The city has two airports: Belfast City Airport adjacent to Belfast Lough and Belfast International Airport which is near Lough Neagh. Queen's University Belfast is the main university in Belfast. The University of Ulster also maintains a campus in the city, which concentrates on fine

Points of interest
The City Hall, dating from 1906, 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), in Waring Street and Northern Bank (1769), in nearby Donegall Street. Also notable is the Linenhall Library (1788), in Donegall Square North.
The world's largest dry dock is located in the city, and the giant cranes (Samson and Goliath) of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, builders of the Titanic, can be seen from afar. Other long-gone industries included Irish linen and rope-making.
Sections of the city contain numerous sectarian murals, reflecting the political and religious allegiances of the communities living there: the Shankill Road, East Belfast, Sandy Row, Glencairn, Highfield, Ballygomartin Road, Ballysillan Road, Upper Ardoyne, and Rathcoole, which are almost entirely Protestant, have murals depicting republican violence, loyalty to the British Crown, the Ulster Volunteer Force and Ulster Defence Association. Conversely, murals on the Falls Road, Poleglass, Marrowbone, New Lodge, Twinbrook and Ardoyne neighborhoods, which are almost entirely Roman Catholic areas feature political themes such as a united Ireland, and the Provisional IRA, as well as traditional folklore and the Irish language. The Irish folk hero Cú Chulainn has appeared on both republican and loyalist murals, representing the heroic Celtic past for the former and legendary battles between Ulster and the other provinces for the latter.
The ornately decorated Crown Liquor Saloon in Great Victoria Street is notable as being the only bar owned by the National Trust. The Royal Courts of Justice in Chichester Street is home to Northern Ireland's Supreme Court.

History
The site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze ages, and the remains of Iron Age hill forts can still be seen. It became a substantial settlement in the 17th century and blossomed as a commerical and industrial centre in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
Belfast has long been the capital of Ulster province and of Northern Ireland since its creation in 1920. Since the 17th century, it has sadly been the scene of much sectarian conflict between Catholics (now often called nationalists) and Protestants (often termed unionists). The most recent example of this is the Troubles -a civil conflict that raged from 1969 to the late'90s.
Belfast's industry suffered serious decline since the 1960s, creating much unemployment in the city. In recent years, large amounts of money have been invested in the city's infrastructure in an effort to stimulate the economy.

Wikipedia.org