Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. With a city population of over 250,000 and a metropolitan population of over 500,000, Belfast is the second largest city on the Island of Ireland. The city is located along the Belfast Lough, a bay area of the North Channel waters.

Belfast is the major centre in Northern Ireland for business, commerce, culture, education, entertainment, sports, tourism and transportation.

Belfast International Airport is the second busiest airport in Ireland serving over 5 million passengers a year. The smaller George Best Belfast City Airport offers flights throughout the United Kingdom only.

Transportation in Belfast is dominated by cars along well developed road networks. The Northern Ireland Railways provide transport along three major routes in the country. There is bus service provided by Translink Metro, which operates in the city and surrounding communities.

Belfast is home to several higher education institutions. The Queen’s University Belfast and University of Ulster are one of the largest in the United Kingdom, each having more than 25,000 students. Additionally, the Belfast Metropolitan College is one of the largest further education colleges in the United Kingdom with nearly 50,000 students.

Belfast has a diverse mixture of sports activity on professional and semi-professional levels. Football teams competing in the Northern Ireland’s premier (IFA) league include
Linfield F.C., Glentoran F.C., Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club and Crusaders F.C.. The Northern Ireland National Football Team competes in Belfast’s Winsdor Park, which has a capacity for over 20,000 people.

Gaelic Football is the most popular sport in Northern Ireland. Belfast is home to Casement Park, the second largest Gaelic Athletic Association field in the country with over 30,000 seating capacity. The Antrim GAA compete in the venue.

Belfast is home to multiple Rugby teams, the most well known club being Ulster Rugby which competes at Ravenhill Stadium. Other teams include Belfast Harlequins and Malone RFC.

Belfast is home to a world-class Cricket field of Stormont, where international games are played. Cooke Collegians Cricket Club and Instonians compete in the sports at the club level.

Belfast is home to several media organizations. The News Letter, established in 1737, is the oldest English language general daily newspaper still published in the world.

Other notable newspapers include The Irish News and The Belfast Telegraph. The BBC Northern Ireland is based in Belfast.

Belfast has recently seen new development of its city centre. The Waterfront Hall serves as a venue for concerts and exhibitions, with seating for over 2,000 people. Newly built Victoria Square is a multi-purpose development consisting of four floors with commercial, residential and leisure facilities. Opened in early 2008, Victoria Sqaure expands Belfast ‘s commercial industry with 98 stores. New places consisting of bars, cafes, clubs and restaurants bring a new exciting nightlife in the city. The square also features over 100 apartment units.

The Port of Belfast is a major location of industry in Northern Ireland and Ireland. Most business trades of goods and logistics serving the entire Ireland island is handled at the port. The Port of Belfast is home to massive ferry services, serving over 1 million people a year. Major ferry operators include the Stena Line, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and Norfolkline. Many cruise liners also operate at the port.