Coleraine

Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Also known as: Cuil Raithin
Irish:
Cúil Raithin

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Coleraine, town and former district (1973–2015) astride the former counties of Antrim and Londonderry, now part of the Causeway Coast and Glens district, Northern Ireland. Coleraine town is located near the mouth of the River Bann. It is the administrative centre of the Causeway Coast and Glens district.

Flint implements dating back to nearly 7000 bce have been found in the vicinity; they provide the earliest evidence of human occupation in Ireland.

The main town, on the east bank, radiates from a central square, The Diamond. Modern Coleraine (from the Irish, meaning “ferry corner”) owes its foundation to the companies of the City of London who undertook the colonization of County Londonderry in the 17th century under the scheme for the Plantation of Ulster. A road and rail junction, Coleraine is also the seat of the New University of Ulster (founded 1965). Its harbour accommodates small vessels.

Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.
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The former district of Coleraine was bordered by the former districts of Limavady to the west, Magherafelt to the south, and Ballymoney and Moyle to the east and by the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Western Coleraine is composed of wooded hilly terrain that slopes eastward to the River Bann valley. Eastern Coleraine is rich agricultural country, producing barley, poultry, and livestock (pigs and sheep). The whiskey and linen industries contribute to the economy as well. Portrush and Portstewart, located on the Atlantic coast northeast of the mouth of the Bann, are popular resort towns with a line of reefs known as The Skerries directly offshore. Area former district, 189 square miles (490 square km). Pop. (2001) town, 24,042; (2011) town, 24,630.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt.

Causeway Coast and Glens, district, northern Northern Ireland. It is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the northeast by the North Channel, to the southeast by the Mid and East Antrim district, to the south by the Mid Ulster district, to the southwest by the Derry City and Strabane district, and to the northwest by Lough Foyle. The district’s administrative body, the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, meets in Coleraine. Causeway Coast and Glens was created in 2015 by the merger of the districts of Ballymoney, Coleraine, Limavady, and Moyle. Pop. (2011) 140,877.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt.