Plymouth (UK city)

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Seaport and administrative centre of Plymouth City unitary authority in southwest England, at the mouth of the river Plym, 179 km/112 mi southwest of Bristol; population (2001) 240,700. The city's focus is based around its three harbours, and industries include marine and machine tool manufacture and servicing, food processing, and the production of clothing and radio equipment.

Plymouth rises north of the Hoe headland, where explorer Francis Drake awaited the approach of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The Mayflower pilgrims set sail from here for America in 1620, and naval explorer James

Cook led his first (1768–71) and third (1776–79) Pacific voyages from Plymouth. The first meeting in England of the fundamentalist Christian Protestant sect the Plymouth Brethren was held here in 1831. The three separate towns of Devonport, East Stonehouse, and Plymouth were amalgamated in 1914 under the inclusive name of Plymouth. The city was heavily bombed in World War II, and the city centre has since undergone major reconstruction.

The Star of May recalls the declaration of independence on 14 May 1811. The colours were inspired by the French tricolour. Effective date: c. 1990. >>