Bristol (UK)

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Industrial port and administrative centre of Bristol City unitary authority, in southwest England, situated at the junction of the rivers Avon and Frome, 48 km/30 mi east of Cardiff; population (2001) 380,600. Industries include engineering, microelectronics, tobacco, printing, metal refining, and banking.

History
There was a settlement here as early as 978, when the wealth of the town derived mainly from the export of English slaves to Ireland. Henry II gave the town its first charter in 1155, and Bristol county was created by royal charter in 1373. The town originally occupied a position wholly on the north of the Avon. The alteration (1239) of the course of the Frome by digging a fresh channel, and the erection of a bridge spanning the river added to the area of the town, linking it also with Redcliffe. During the Middle Ages, Bristol became an important commercial centre; it was recognized as a staple town in 1353, and it enjoyed a considerable trade in wool, leather, wine, and salt. The Italian navigator Giovanni Caboto sailed west from here in 1497 to Asia and landed in Newfoundland, in his ship the Matthew. Bristol had trading links with France, Holland, Portugal, and Spain, and was the second most-important city in England between the 15th and 18th centuries.

In 1643, during the Civil War, the city was captured by the royalist Prince Rupert, and later, in 1645, by Thomas Fairfax, commander-in-chief of the Parliamentary army. In the 17th and 18th centuries Bristol developed as the principal British port for trade with the American colonies and the West Indies. The port was central to the slave trade, and was part of a triangular trading system between West Africa and the West Indian and American plantations. Jamaican sugar and molasses and West African cocoa were imported along this trade route, leading to the development of sugar and chocolate industries in Bristol. The city also became a significant centre for shipbuilding, and the Great Western, the first steamer intended for transatlantic trade, was built there in 1838. Bristol's status as a port declined in the 19th century, as it was unable to berth the increasingly large vessels. Nevertheless, during World War II the city suffered serious aerial bombardment due to its continuing industrial importance.

The flags of Qatar and Bahrain are very similar, reflecting the countries' historical links. The proportions of the Qatari flag are unique. Effective date: c. 1949. >>