The city of Glasgow is situated in the west of Scotland on the River Clyde. It has the largest population of all the Scottish cities and has a history in both commerce and shipbuilding.
The city boasts three universities, Glasgow Caledonian University, Strathclyde University and the oldest of the three, Glasgow University. It also boasts a large number of further education colleges and schools. The colleges and universities serve not only the local population, but also attract students from around the world. They are recognised as a world centre of excellence. A fourth university is located in the adjacent town of Paisley.
The Royal Infirmary, The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, The Royal Hospital for Children and The New Victoria Infirmary are some of the medical facilities located here. They operate using 'state-of-the-art' medical equipment and have been responsible for a number of medical breakthroughs.
The city has a cathedral located close to the city's original city centre and The Royal Infirmary. The oldest house in the city, known as 'The Provands Lordship' is also near the cathedral.
A large number of museums and parks are dotted around the city. The museums have amassed some of the best art anywhere in the world.
The citizens of the city are known as 'Glasweigians' and a few have become famous outside of their native Scotland. Lulu, Sheena Easton and Billy Conolly are a few of the stars to become internationally known. Glasweigians are also pretty friendly and will offer advice to visitors when asked.
As a major population centre, the city has a lot of shopping areas many of which are internationally known. In addition the citizens are entertained with facilities such as theatres, night clubs, public houses, cinema complexes and sports centres.
The theatres have also played host to many international artists such as Neil Sedaka, John Denver, ABBA, Placido Domingo, Boyzone, Tony Bennett, Cliff Richard and Tom Jones to name just a few.
Many of the citizens have an interest in the game of football (soccer) and there are three teams based in the city; Glasgow Rangers, Glasgow Celtic and Partick Thistle. Rangers play at Ibrox Stadium, Celtic at Parkhead and Partick Thistle at Firhill. Glasgow is also the location of the national stadium known as Hampden. It has hosted many international football matches and also played host to international American football matches, the Claymores being the local team.
A number of the city's suburbs have also become famous in their own right, the best known being Govan. This suburb once contained a large number of shibuilding yards. There are only three surviving shipbuilding facilities in the local area. John Brown Engineering is located in Clydebank, Yarrow Shipbuilders in Scotstoun and Kvaerner (for many years known as Fairfields locally) in Govan. John Brown's and Fairfields are known for their merchant shipping and Yarrow Shipbuilders for their warships. The Queen Mary, now berthed in the United States of America, was constructed at John Brown's. John Brown's is involved in the construction of oil and gas rigs for the North Sea.
The city once played a large role in the tobacco trade and a lot of the city's wealth came from this. Sadly, the city is no longer a thriving port and is lucky to see one ship a month as opposed to the daily ship traffic that it had at the height of the British Empire.
Transport links to other parts of the United Kingdom are via two railway stations, Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street; and Buchannan Bus Station provides for coach travel. Air travel is catered for with two local facilities. The first is a single heliport located within the city itself and caters for two helicopters. The second is a major facility located outside Glasgow and near Paisley. This is known as Glasgow International Airport. It has four terminals and can handle aircraft ranging from light fixed wing aircraft and helicopters to large passenger aircraft such as the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. There is also a small underground network built in the late 19th century.
The city hosted a garden festival in 1988, was named European city of culture in 1990 and has the distinction of being named UK city of Architecture and Design for 1999.
The patron saint of Glasgow is Saint Mungo and he is featured on the city's coat of arms.
You can look at large 300dpi images of some of the city's attractions by clicking on the images below:
A view of Bellahouston Park.
Another view of Bellahouston Park.
Ibrox Stadium.
The Pierce Institute, Govan.
GEC Govan Shipyard.
Another entrance to GEC Govan Shipyard.
A crane used in shipbuilding.
A view of Elder Park, Govan.
A view of Elder Park Library, Govan.
Statue of Sir Robert Pierce, Govan.
Old Govan Parish Church.
Govan Underground (Subway) Station.
Glasgow School of Art, City Centre.
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