Bristol
Bristol
is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in
South West England, 105 miles (169 km) west of London,
and 44 miles (71 km) east of Cardiff.
With
an approximate population of 410,950, and urban area
of 550,200, it is England's sixth, and the United Kingdom's
ninth most populous city, one of England's core cities
and the most populous city in South West England. It
received a royal charter in 1155 and was granted county
status in 1373. For half a millennium it was the second
or third largest English city, until the rapid rise
of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester in the Industrial
Revolution during the latter part of the 18th century.
It borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire,
lying between the cities of Bath, Gloucester and Newport,
and has a short coastline on the estuary of the River
Severn, which flows into the Bristol Channel.
Bristol
is one of the centres of culture, employment and education
in the region. From its earliest days, its prosperity
has been linked to that of the Port of Bristol, the
commercial port, which was in the city centre but has
now moved to the Severn Estuary coast at Avonmouth and
Portbury. In more recent years the economy has been
built on the aerospace industry, and the city centre
docks have been regenerated as a centre of heritage
and culture.
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