Belfast metropolitan area

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Belfast Metropolitan Area
Metropolitan area
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Belfast Metropolitan Area
Location in Northern Ireland
Coordinates: 54°35′49″N5°55′48″W / 54.597°N 5.930°W / 54.597; -5.930
Sovereign StateUnited Kingdom
Constituent Country Northern Ireland
District
County County Antrim / County Down
Government
   UK Parliament
Area
  Total370 sq mi (960 km2)
Time zone UTC+0 (GMT)
  Summer (DST) UTC-1 (BST (WEST))
Area code 028

The Belfast metropolitan area, also known as Greater Belfast, is a grouping of council areas which include commuter towns and overspill from Belfast, Northern Ireland, with a population of 672,522 in 2011, combining the Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey, North Down, Castlereagh and Carrickfergus districts. This equates to 37.1% of Northern Ireland's population.

Contents

Overview

The area was first officially classified as a metropolitan area in the late 1990s when the British government began to prepare for a cohesive plan that would include the Belfast Region. Six local government districts – Belfast, Castlereagh, Carrickfergus, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and North Down, were identified as the key areas within the metropolitan area. The continuous built-up area centred on Belfast, which is contained within these six districts, is defined as the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area. [1] The Belfast metropolitan urban area had a population of 579,276 in 2001. [2]

The area is made up of established towns, their overspill and the general conjoining of settlements as Belfast expands. Established towns include Carrickfergus, Bangor, Lisburn and Holywood. Many of these towns were established and important long before Belfast rose to prominence; Carrickfergus, for example, was the Norman capital of the northern part of Ireland until Edward Bruce's defeat in 1318. [3] Bangor had been an important centre of Christianity and learning from its foundation in 555 AD. [4] [5] The recent reclassification of Lisburn as a city does not change its position within the metropolitan area.

Places in the conurbation

RankUrban Area [2] Population

(2001 Census) [2]

1 Belfast urban area 276,605
2 Lisburn urban area 71,403
3 Newtownabbey urban area 62,022
4 Bangor 58,368
5 Castlereagh urban area 54,636
6 Carrickfergus 27,192
7 Holywood urban area 12,027
8 Carryduff 6,564
9 Greenisland 5,067
10 Groomsport & Crawfordsburn 1,401
11 Helen's Bay 1,356
12 Milltown 1,356
13 Seahill 1,179
TotalBelfast metropolitan urban area579,276

2001 census

At the 2001 census, the demographic characteristics of the people living in Belfast metropolitan urban area (BMUA) were as follows: [6]

Population maps

In the 2011 UK Census, the distributions of population, religion, national identity and proportion of immigrants within the Belfast metropolitan area, were as follows.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Antrim</span> Historic Northern Ireland county

County Antrim is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,086 square kilometres (1,192 sq mi) and has a population of 651,321, as of the 2021 census. County Antrim has a population density of 211 people per square kilometre or 546 people per square mile. It is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Down</span> County in Northern Ireland

County Down is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of 961 sq mi (2,490 km2) and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east, County Armagh to the west, and County Louth across Carlingford Lough to the southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisburn</span> City in Northern Ireland

Lisburn is a city in Northern Ireland. It is 8 mi (13 km) southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with the arrival of French Huguenots in the 18th century, the town developed as a global centre of the linen industry.

Carnmoney is the name of a townland, electoral ward and a civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Carnmoney is within the urban area of Newtownabbey, in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It lies 7 miles (11 km) from Belfast city centre in the historic barony of Belfast Lower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Down Borough Council</span> Administrative territorial entity of the United Kingdom

North Down Borough Council was a Local Council in County Down in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ards Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become North Down and Ards District Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Hillsborough</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Royal Hillsborough, more commonly known simply as Hillsborough, is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland, 19 km (12 mi) from the city of Belfast. It is within the Lisburn and Castlereagh District Council area. The village is noted for its Georgian architecture. It is home to Hillsborough Castle, the British royal family's official residence in Northern Ireland, and residence of the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtownabbey</span> Town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Newtownabbey is a large settlement north of Belfast city centre in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course, but it still forms part of the Belfast metropolitan area. It surrounds Carnmoney Hill, and was formed from the merging of several small villages including Whiteabbey, Glengormley and Carnmoney. At the 2011 census, Metropolitan Newtownabbey Settlement had a population of 65,646, making it the third largest settlement in Northern Ireland. It is part of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast City Council</span> Local authority in Northern Ireland

Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for part of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The council serves an estimated population of 345,006 (2019), the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while being the smallest by area. Belfast City Council is the primary council of the Belfast Metropolitan Area, a grouping of six former district councils with commuter towns and overspill from Belfast, containing a total population of 579,276.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dundonald, County Down</span> Town on outskirts of Belfast, Northern Ireland

Dundonald is a large settlement and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies east of Belfast and is often considered a suburb of the city. It is home to the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald International Ice Bowl, Dundonald Omnipark, has a Park and Ride facility for the Glider, access to the Comber Greenway and several housing developments. John de Courcey established a keep including a motte-and-bailey in the 12th century. This is known as Moat Park and can be accessed from Church Green, Comber Road and the Upper Newtownards Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor</span> Latin Catholic diocese in Northern Ireland

The Diocese of Down and Connor, is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh. The See is vacant; Bishop Donal McKeown is currently the Apostolic Administrator pending the appointment of a new bishop.

Q Radio is a Northern Irish radio station. It broadcasts to Greater Belfast on 96.7 MHz FM and on DAB Digital Radio across all of Northern Ireland. From 5 April 2007, Citybeat became available on 102.5FM for North Belfast, Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus. On 2 November 2007, Citybeat launched a third FM transmitter also broadcasting on 102.5FM for Bangor. Citybeat reaches a weekly audience of 127,000 listeners in Belfast, around 22% of the adult population. It has won both Arqiva 'Station of the Year' and Sony Awards. The station was rebranded as Q Radio on-air at 6pm on Sunday 9 August 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Local Government (Boundaries) Act 1971 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, passed in 1971 to replace the previous system of local authorities established by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. The system was based on the recommendations of the Macrory Report, of June 1970, which presupposed the continued existence of the Government of Northern Ireland to act as a regional-level authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Local Government Act 1972 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland that constituted district councils to administer the twenty-six local government districts created by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act 1971, and abolished the existing local authorities in Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast suburban rail</span>

The Belfast suburban rail commuter network serves the metropolitan area of Greater Belfast and some of its commuter towns with three lines. The network is owned by Translink and operated by its subsidiary NI Railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordanstown</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Jordanstown is a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area of Newtownabbey and the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It is also situated in the civil parish of Carnmoney and the historic barony of Belfast Lower. It had a population of 6,225 in the 2011 census, with an average age of 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Connor (Church of Ireland)</span> Diocese in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland

The Diocese of Connor is in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland.

Transportation systems in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland, include road, air, rail, and sea. It is still a relatively car-dependent city; however, it is also served by a comprehensive rail and bus network. Belfast also ran electric trams prior to 1954. The city has two major airports, and the Port of Belfast is the busiest ferry port on the island of Ireland.

In Ireland, the term city has somewhat differing meanings in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

References

  1. "Map of Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area". Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 "Statistical Classification Band A – Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area" (PDF). Nisra.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  3. Gwynn, Stephen Lucius (1903). Highways and byways in Donegal and Antrim. Macmillan and Co. limited. p.  291 . Retrieved 8 April 2018. capital.
  4. Gauldie, Robin (2008). GLOBETROTTER Travel Guide IRELAND. New Holland Publishers. p. 118. ISBN   9781845378707 . Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  5. Hamlin, Ann; Kerr, Thomas R. (2008). The archaeology of early Christianity in the North of Ireland. Archaeopress. p. 285. ISBN   9781407302850 . Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  6. "Area Profile of Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA)". Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.

See also