a county borough in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Political and economic center of Northern Ireland. Founded (originally as a fortified castle) at the end of the 12th century. Area, 73 sq km. Population, 399,300 (1966).
Belfast has a port on the shore of the Northern Straits at the point where the Lagan River flows into Belfast Lough. It is connected with the interior regions by a railroad network and a canal. Belfast’s airport is located at Sydenham. It is an industrial center and has approximately 60 percent of the industrial employment in Northern Ireland. Belfast and its environs are a very old region of the linen industry, which came into being in the 17th century, based on local raw material. During the middle of the 19th century the shipyards of the Harland and Wolff Company began operations; they produce as much as 7 or 8 percent of the ships built in Great Britain. It was here that ships such as the Titanic were built. Closely connected to shipbuilding are ship machinery construction, rope and cable manufacture, and other allied fields. Also located in Belfast are a major aircraft plant and enterprises of the electrical engineering, textile machine building, tobacco, food, and garment industries. Woolen fabrics, rugs, and synthetic fibers are also produced. There is a university (since 1845), an engineering college, and an art gallery.
Belfast is a major center of the workers’ and democratic movement. At the end of the 1960’s, along with other cities in Northern Ireland, it became an arena for the workers’ struggle for civil and social rights.