Belfast

The name Belfast derives from the Irish Béal Feirste (Irish pronunciation: [bʲeːlˠ ˈfʲɛɾˠ(ə)ʃtʲə]), "Mouth of the Farset", a river whose name comes from Irish fearsaid, meaning a sandbar or tidal ford. This was formed where the Farset flowed into the Lagan, along what is now High Street, until culverted in the late 18th century. It was at this crossing, under or near the current Queen's Bridge, that the early settlement developed. The compilers of Ulster-Scots use various transcriptions of local pronunciations of "Belfast" (with which they sometimes are also content) including Bilfawst, Bilfaust or Baelfawst. As a legacy of emigration, Belfast has lent its name to more than a dozen settlements in the United States, of which the largest is Belfast, Maine, and to one each in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. The site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age. …

At 54°35′49″N 05°55′45″W, its northern latitude is characterised by short winter days and long summer evenings. During the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, local sunset is before 16:00 while sunrise is around 08:45. At the summer solstice in June, the sun sets after 22:00 and rises before 05:00. For this northern latitude, thanks to the influence of the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift, Belfast has a comparatively mild climate. In summer the temperatures rarely range above 25 °C (77 °F) or dip in winter below −5 °C (23 °F). The maritime influence, also ensures that the city gets significant precipitation. On 157 days in an average year, rainfall is greater than 1 mm. Average annual rainfall is 846 mm (33.3 in), less than areas of northern England or most of Scotland, but higher than Dublin or the south-east coast of Ireland. …

From Georgian Belfast, the city retains a civic legacy. In addition to Clifton House (Belfast Charitable Society, 1774), this includes the Linen Hall Library (Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge, 1788), the Ulster Museum (founded in 1833 by the Belfast Natural History Society as the Belfast Municipal Museum and Art Gallery), and the Botanic Gardens (established in 1828 by the Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society). These remain important cultural venues: in the case of the Gardens, for outdoor festivities including the Belfast Melā, the city's annual August celebration of global cultures. …