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Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the third largest in the United Kingdom after London and Birmingham; as well as being the most populous unitary authority area. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands. People from Glasgow ... more »
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Airports Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the third largest in the United Kingdom after London and Birmingham; as well as being the most populous unitary authority area. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands. People from Glasgow are known as Glaswegians. Glaswegian is also the name of the local dialect of Scots, commonly known as the Glasgow Patter.
The city was formerly a royal burgh, and was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" in the Victorian era. It established itself as a major transatlantic trading port during the Industrial Revolution. The Clyde was the world's pre-eminent shipbuilding centre, building many revolutionary and famous vessels such as the Cunard liners RMS Lusitania, RMS Aquitania, RMS Queen Mary, RMS Queen Elizabeth and the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, and the Royal Yacht Britannia.
The city grew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to a population of over one million people, peaking at 1,088,000 in 1931. However, with population decline, mainly due to the large scale relocation of people to new towns like East Kilbride and Cumbernauld on the outskirts of the city, and successive boundary changes by the Scottish Office and UK governments in an attempt to reduce the relative size and influence of the city within Scotland, the current population of the City of Glasgow is 629,501, based on the 2001 census. Approximately 2.1 million people live in the Greater Glasgow urban conurbation, defined as the City of Glasgow and the Greater Metropolitan Area.
Forming the focal point of commerce, business, industry, media and transport in Scotland, Glasgow is a bustling and cosmopolitan city. Glasgow is the third most popular foreign tourist destination in the United Kingdom after London and Edinburgh. The city also has Scotland's largest and most economically important commerce and retail centre. Glasgow is one of Europe's top 20 financial centres and is home to many of Scotland's leading businesses, forming an important part of the British economy.
Glasgow is located on the banks of the River Clyde, in West Central Scotland.
Glasgow was historically based around Glasgow Cathedral, the old High Street and down to the River Clyde via Glasgow Cross.
Unlike Edinburgh, very little of medieval Glasgow remains, the two main landmarks from this period being the 14th century Provand's Lordship and Glasgow Cathedral. The vast majority of the city as seen today dates from the 19th century. As a result, Glasgow has an impressive heritage of Victorian architecture, the Glasgow City Chambers, the main building of the University of Glasgow, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, and the Glasgow School of Art, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, being outstanding examples. Another architect who had a great and enduring impact on the city's appearance was Alexander Thomson, who produced a distinctive architecture based on fundamentalist classicism that gave him the nickname "Greek". He was described as a "quiet, stay-at-home Victorian behind whose buttoned-up facade there seethed a kind of stylistic corsair who plundered the past for the greater glory of the present".
The area of Glasgow has long been used for settlement due to the River Clyde providing a natural area for fishing. Glasgow became important in the 12th century as the site of a bishopric, reorganized by King David I of Scotland and John, bishop of Glasgow. There had been an earlier religious site the exact date of which is unknown. According to doubtful hagiographical tradition, this ecclesiatical site had been established by Saint Kentigern. The bishopric became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Kingdom of Scotland, bringing wealth and status to the town. Somewhere between 1175 and 1178 this position was strengthened even further when Bishop Jocelin obtained for the episcopal settlement the status of burgh from King William the Lion, allowing the settlement to expand with the benefits of trading monopolies and other legal guarantees. Sometime between 1189 and 1195 this status was supplemented by an annual fair, which survives to this day as the Glasgow Fair.
Glasgow grew over the following centuries, and the founding of the University of Glasgow in 1451 and elevation of the bishopric to an archbishopric in 1492 increasing the town's religious and educational status. It was not until the 16th century that Glasgow became in international trading. The city became a hub of trade to the Americas, especially in the movement of tobacco, cotton and sugar. The industries of Scotland produced textiles, coal and steel, which were exported. Shipbuilding became a major industry on the Clyde, building many famous ships. By the end of the 19th century the city was known as the "Second City of the Empire" and was producing most of the ships and locomotives in the world. During this period, the construction of many of the city's greatest architectural masterpieces and most ambitious civic projects were being funded by its wealth.
The 20th century showed a great decline in the city's fortunes, especially with the effects of two World Wars and the Great Depression. The city's industries became uncompetitive, leading to high unemployment, urban decay and poor health for the city's inhabitants.
However, by the end of the century there had been a significant resurgence in Glasgow's economic fortunes, with financial companies moving to the city, as well an increase in tourism. The latter due to the legacy of the city's status as European City of Culture in 1990, and the product of its thriving artistic community. The ongoing regeneration of inner-city areas has led to people moving back to live in the centre of Glasgow, although some areas of the city remain amongst the most deprived in the UK.
Airports The city has two international airports: Glasgow International Airport (GLA) in Paisley, Renfrewshire (13 km west of the city) and Glasgow Prestwick International Airport (PIK) in Prestwick, Ayrshire (46 km to the south-west). It is anticipated that by 2008, both airports with be served by a direct rail link from Glasgow Central station on completion of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project at Glasgow International Airport.
Public Transport Glasgow has a large urban transportation system, mostly managed by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), part of Transport Scotland. Until 2006 it was known as Strathclyde Passenger Transport and was the only Passenger Transport Executive in Scotland. SPT is formed and financed out of the twelve unitary authorities in the Greater Glasgow area including Glasgow City Council. It has responsibility for local train services, the Subway, certain ferries and buses.
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* Glasgow weather is typical of Scottish weather and often unpredictable.
Temperature - Yearly Average
The summer months (May to September) are often mild but unpredictable. The winds are generally westerly, due to the warm Gulf Stream. The warmest month is usually July, averaging 19°C (66.2°F). However, temperature can change suddenly, and is normally a few degrees colder than southern England. Mornings may be damp and misty, or dreich (a Scottish word for damp and drizzly), but become sunny and warm by afternoon.
Though there are some rainy and windy days, spring (March to May) is fairly mild and is a popular time to visit Glasgow. Many of Glasgow's trees begin to flower at this time of the year and the parks and gardens are filled with spring colour.
Winters can be damp with few sunny days; however the Gulf Stream ensures that Glasgow stays warmer than other cities at the same latitude. Winds can be chilling and cold, though severe snow falls are infrequent and do not last. December, January and February are the wettest months of the year, but can occasionally be sunny and clear.
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Distances are calculated as the crow flies, and are provided as an aid in planning only.
* This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Source wikipedia.
