Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Its name originates from the Irish Béal Feirste, or "the mouth of the Farset" — the river on which the city was built and has now been superseded by the River Lagan.

the city is nestled between the River Lagan and Belfast Lough and ringed by the Belfast Hills. The core of downtown Belfast sits beside the West Bank of the River Lagan. The city revolves around a central point, Donegal Square, which holds the City Hall. All roads radiate out from there. Donegal Place, which extends northward from the square, leads to Royal Avenue, a prime-shopping district. Bedford Street, which extends southward from the square, becomes Dublin Road, which, in turn, leads to the Queen’s University area. Nearly half a million people, a third of Northern Ireland’s population, reside within Belfast City limits. With its large port, Belfast is a very industrialized city, often referred to as the engine room that drove the whirring wheels of the industrial revolution in Ulster.

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