Belfast: Difference between revisions

'''Belfast''' ({{derive|Irish|Béal Feirste|The sandy ford at the river mouth}}<ref name="Belfast name">{{cite web | title = Placenames/Logainmneacha: Belfast | work = BBC Northern Ireland - Education | publisher = BBC | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/irish/blas/education/beginnersblas/1belfast.shtml | accessdate = 2007-05-17}}</ref>) is the capital of [[Northern Ireland]]. It is the largest city in Northern Ireland and the province of [[Ulster]], and the second-largest city on the island of [[Ireland]] (after [[Dublin]]). In the [[United Kingdom 2001 census|2001 census]] the population within the city limits (the Belfast Urban Area) was 277,391,<ref name="Belfast Urban Area">{{cite web | title = Comparative Demography Profile: Belfast District Council, Northern Ireland | work = 2001 Census data (Crown Copyright) | publisher = Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency | date = 2001 | url = http://www.nicensus2001.gov.uk/nica/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Demography&mainLevel=CouncilArea&mainArea=Belfast&mainText=&mainTextExplicitMatch=null&compLevel=CountryProfile&compArea=Northern+Ireland&compText=&compTextExplicitMatch=null | accessdate = 2007-05-17}}</ref> while 579,554 people lived in the wider [[Belfast Metropolitan Area]].<ref name="Belfast Metropolitan Area">{{cite web | title = Area Profile of Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA) | work = 2001 Census data | publisher = Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency | date = 2001 | url = http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/mapxtreme_towns/report.asp?settlementName=Belfast%20Metropolitan%20Urban%20Area%20(BMUA)&BandName=Belfast%20Metropolitan%20Urban%20Area%20(BMUA) | accessdate = 2007-05-16}}</ref> This made it the fifteenth-largest city in the United Kingdom, but the eleventh-largest [[conurbation]].{{Fact|date=June 2007}}

 

 

===Etymology and motto===

 

The city of Belfast has the [[Latin]] motto "''Pro tanto quid retribuamus''". This can be translated as "What shall we give in return for so much" (literally "Having received so much, what return shall we make") and is taken from [[Psalms|Psalm]] 116 Verse 12 in the Latin [[Vulgate|Vulgate Bible]]. The [[Queen's University Belfast|Queens University]] Students' Union [[Rag Week]] publication ''PTQ'' derives its name from the first three words of the motto. [[Image:Belfast city crest painting.png|100px|left]]The city's [[coat of arms]] shows a central shield, bearing a ship and a bell, flanked by a chained wolf (or wolfhound) on the left and a seahorse on the right. A smaller seahorse sits at the top. This crest dates back to 1613, when [[James I of England|King James I]] granted Belfast town status. The seal was used by Belfast merchants throughout the [[seventeenth century]] on their signs and trade-coins.<ref name="Buildings of Belfast">{{cite book | last = Brett | first = C. E. B | title = Buildings of Belfast, 1700-1914 | publisher = Weidenfeld and Nicolson | date = 1967 | location = London}}</ref> A large stained glass window in the [[Belfast City Hall|City Hall]] displays the seal, where an explanation suggests that the seahorse and the ship refer to Belfast's significant maritime history. The wolf may be a tribute to the city's founder, [[Arthur Chichester|Sir Arthur Chichester]], and refer to his own coat of arms.<ref name="Buildings of Belfast"/>

 

==Geography and climate==

| style="background: #FFFFFF;" | '''846<small>mm</small> <br> (33.3<small>"</small>)'''

|}

 

==Demographics==

 

[[Ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland|Ethnic minority]] communities have been living in Belfast since the 1930s.<ref name="Who lives here">{{cite web | title = Ethnic minorities: Who lives here? | work = Northern Ireland Learning: Teacher's Notes | publisher = BBC | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/11_16/citizenship/pdfs/ctz_eth_pg02_tn.pdf | format = [[PDF]] | accessdate = 2007-05-24}}</ref> The largest groups are [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] and [[Irish travellers]]. Since the expansion of the [[European Union]], numbers have been boosted by a large influx of [[Eastern European]] immigrants. Census figures (2001) showed that Belfast has a total ethnic minority population of 4,584 or 1.3% of the population. Over half of these live in [[South Belfast]] with numbers reaching 2.63% of the population.<ref name="Who lives here"/> The majority of the estimated 5000 [[Muslims]]<ref>{{cite web | title = About Us | publisher = Belfast Islamic Centre | url = http://belfastislamiccentre.org.uk/about_us/about_us.htm | date = 2007 | accessdate = 2007-05-24}}</ref> and 3000 [[Hindus]]<ref>{{cite web | title = Hinduism | work = Faith and Belief in Northern Ireland | publisher = BBC | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/religion/faithandbelief/hinduism.shtml | accessdate = 2007-05-24}}</ref> living and working in Northern Ireland live in the [[Greater Belfast]] area.

 

===Media===

 

The city is also the headquarters of [[BBC Northern Ireland]], the [[ITV]] station [[Ulster Television|UTV]] and the commercial radio stations [[Belfast CityBeat]] and [[U105]]. There are two independent cinemas in Belfast, the [[Queen's Film Theatre]] and the [[Strand Cinema]], which host screenings during the [[Belfast Film Festival]] and the [[Belfast Festival at Queen's]].

 

==Government and politics==

Belfast was granted [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]] by [[James I of England|James I]] in 1613 and official [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] by [[Queen Victoria]] in 1888.<ref>{{cite web | title = Belfast City Hall: History and Background | publisher = Belfast City Council | url = http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/cityhall/history.asp?menuitem=background | accessdate = 2007-05-24}}</ref> In 1971 it became a [[Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971|local government district]] under local administration by [[Belfast City Council]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 | publisher = Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) | date = 2007 | url = http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/lgba1971.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-24}}</ref> Belfast is represented in both the [[British House of Commons]] and in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]]. For elections to the [[European Parliament]], Belfast is within the [[Northern Ireland (European Parliament constituency)|Northern Ireland constituency]].

 

===Northern Ireland Assembly and Westminster===

The [[Belfast Trust]] is one of five new [[National Health Service|NHS]] trusts which were created on 1 April, 2007 by the Department of Health. Belfast contains most of Northern Ireland's regional specialist centres. The [[Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast|Royal Victoria Hospital]], serving mainly [[West Belfast]], is an internationally renowned centre of excellence in trauma care and provides specialist trauma care for all of Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Payne | first = William | title = Hospital Development:PFI beyond DBFO | journal = ProQuest Information and Learning Company | publisher = Wilmington Publishing Ltd. | date = 1998-09 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3873/is_199809/ai_n8824797/print | accessdate = 2007-05-06}}</ref>. It also provides the city's specialist neurosurgical, opthalmology, [[Otolaryngology|ENT]], and Dentistry services. The [[Belfast City Hospital|City Hospital]], serving [[South Belfast]], is the regional specialist centre for Haematology and is home to the most modern equipped regional Cancer Centre in the UK.<ref>{{cite web | title = Belfast Cancer Centre, Northern Ireland | publisher = Scott Wilson | url = http://www.scottwilson.com/Default.aspx?page=9976 | accessdate = 2007-05-24}}</ref> The Mary G McGeown Regional Nephrology Unit at the [[Belfast City Hospital]] is the Kidney Transplant Centre and provides regional renal services for N.Ireland.<ref>{{cite web | title = Belfast City Hospital: About the Unit | publisher = The Renal Association | date = 2006-11 | url = http://www.renal.org/unit/index.pl?c=belfast | accessdate = 2007-05-24}}</ref>

[[Musgrave Park Hospital]] in [[South Belfast]] specialises in orthopaedics, rheumatology, sports medicine and rehabilitation. It's also home to Northern Ireland's first [[Traumatic brain injury|Acquired Brain Injury]] Unit, costing [[Pound sterling|GB£]]9 million and opened by the [[Prince of Wales]] and the [[Duchess of Cornwall]] in May, 2006.<ref>{{cite news | title = TRH open Northern Ireland's first Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit | publisher = The Prince of Wales | date = 2006-05-15 | url = http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/newsandgallery/news/trh_open_northern_ireland_s_first_regional_acquired_brain_in_778.html | accessdate = 2007-05-06}}</ref> Other hospitals in Belfast include the [[Mater Infirmorum Hospital|Mater Hospital]] in [[North Belfast]], the [[Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children|Children's Hospital]], and the [[Ulster Hospital]], [[Dundonald]].

 

==Twin cities==

*{{flagicon|Germany}} '''[[Bonn]]''', [[Germany]]

 

 

== References ==