1.
Newtownstewart
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Newtownstewart is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is overlooked by hills called Bessy Bell and Mary Gray and is at the confluence of the rivers Strule and it is situated in the historic barony of Strabane Lower and the civil parish of Ardstraw. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,479 people. It lies within the Strabane District Council area, the townland of Newtownstewart was historically called Lislas. It gained its current name when the land was granted to Sir William Stewart as part of the Plantation of Ulster, the Northern Bank building on the corner was the scene of a famous murder in 1871 when bank cashier William Glass was killed and robbed of £1, 600k. Assistant District Inspector Thomas Hartley Montgomery, of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who was in charge of the investigation, was tried, convicted. The local flute band has been in existence since 1979 and it also features an 18-hole golf course in the estate. Half a mile south-west of Newtownstewart, on a hill, is ruined Harry Averys Castle, only the massive D-shaped twin towers of the keep, built by Henry Aimbreidh O Neil, are left. Newtownstewart also has the castle of the Stewart family, where an intact Bronze Age cist grave was found. Stewart Castle was built in 1619 by Sir Robert Newcomen in an English manor house style and it suffered extensive damage during the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and its subsequent capture by Sir Phelim O Neill, and in 1689 on King James return from the Siege of Derry. The castle has remained a ruin ever since, prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon were married on 26 April 1923 in Westminster Abbey. The newlyweds first visit as the Duke and Duchess of York was to Newtownstewart, theobald Wolfe Tone, was imprisioned in the towns Police station for one night after his capture on 12 October 1798, en route to his execuation in Dublin on 19 November 1798. Newtownstewart St. Eugenes is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club, Newtownstewart is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (i. e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250. On Census day there were 1,479 people living in Newtownstewart, Thomas Maclear, Astronomer Royal at the Cape of Good Hope, was born in Newtownstewart. Dukes of Abercorn, reside at Baronscourt, near Newtownstewart Johnny Loughrey, Irish singer born in Newtownstewart in 1945, construction of the Irish gauge, Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway began in 1845 and reached Strabane in 1847. By 1852 it had extended to Newtownstewart and Omagh and its terminus in Enniskillen was reached in 1854, the company was absorbed into the Great Northern Railway in 1883. Newtownstewart railway station opened on 9 May 1852 and finally closed on 15 February 1965, list of towns and villages in Northern Ireland Strabane District Council Baronscourt Bronze Age burial cist - Newtownstewart Stewart Castle
2.
County Tyrone
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County Tyrone is one of the six historic counties of Northern Ireland. It is also one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is no used as an administrative division for local government. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,155 km² and has a population of about 177,986, with its county town being Omagh. The name Tyrone is derived from Irish Tír Eoghain, meaning land of Eoghan, historically, it was anglicised as Tirowen or Tyrowen, which are closer to the Irish pronunciation. Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern-day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610–1620 when that went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on natural resources located there. Tyrone was the stronghold of the various ONeill clans and families. In 1608 during ODohertys Rebellion areas of the country were plundered, however, ODohertys men avoided the estates of the recently fled Earl of Tyrone around Dungannon, fearing Tyrones anger if he returned from his exile. With an area of 3,155 square kilometres, Tyrone is the largest county in Northern Ireland, the length of the county, from the mouth of the River Blackwater at Lough Neagh to the western point near Carrickaduff hill is 55 miles. The breadth, from the corner, southeast of Fivemiletown, to the northeastern corner near Meenard Mountain is 37.5 miles. Annaghone lays claim to be the centre of Northern Ireland. Tyrone is connected by land to the county of Fermanagh to the southwest, Monaghan to the south, Armagh to the southeast, Londonderry to the north, across Lough Neagh to the east, it borders County Antrim. It is the eighth largest of Irelands thirty-two counties by area and it is the second largest of Ulsters nine traditional counties by area and fourth largest by population. It is one of four counties in Northern Ireland which currently has a majority of the population from a Catholic community background, in 1900 County Tyrone had a population of 197,719, while in 2011 it was 177,986. The major sports in Tyrone are Gaelic games, association football, Gaelic football is the most popular sport in the county with Gaelic football being more widely played than hurling. The Tyrone GAA football side has had success since 2000. They have also won fourteen Ulster titles and two National League titles, association football also has a large following
3.
Ireland
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Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, in 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland, the islands geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild, thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, there are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland. The Irish climate is moderate and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, however, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant, the earliest evidence of human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC. Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century CE, the island was Christianised from the 5th century onward. Following the Norman invasion in the 12th century, England claimed sovereignty over Ireland, however, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest, which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, with the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s and this subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973 the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community while the United Kingdom, Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, an indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music. The culture of the island shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing. The name Ireland derives from Old Irish Eriu and this in turn derives from Proto-Celtic *Iveriu, which is also the source of Latin Hibernia. Iveriu derives from a root meaning fat, prosperous, during the last glacial period, and up until about 9000 years ago, most of Ireland was covered with ice, most of the time
4.
Astronomer
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An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who concentrates their studies on a specific question or field outside of the scope of Earth. They look at stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies, as well as other celestial objects — either in observational astronomy. Examples of topics or fields astronomers work on include, planetary science, solar astronomy, there are also related but distinct subjects like physical cosmology which studies the Universe as a whole. Astronomers usually fit into two types, Observational astronomers make direct observations of planets, stars and galaxies, and analyze the data, theoretical astronomers create and investigate models of things that cannot be observed. They use this data to create models or simulations to theorize how different celestial bodies work, there are further subcategories inside these two main branches of astronomy such as planetary astronomy, galactic astronomy or physical cosmology. Today, that distinction has disappeared and the terms astronomer. Professional astronomers are highly educated individuals who typically have a Ph. D. in physics or astronomy and are employed by research institutions or universities. They spend the majority of their time working on research, although quite often have other duties such as teaching, building instruments. The number of astronomers in the United States is actually quite small. The American Astronomical Society, which is the organization of professional astronomers in North America, has approximately 7,000 members. This number includes scientists from other such as physics, geology. The International Astronomical Union comprises almost 10,145 members from 70 different countries who are involved in research at the Ph. D. level. Before CCDs, photographic plates were a method of observation. Modern astronomers spend relatively little time at telescopes usually just a few weeks per year, analysis of observed phenomena, along with making predictions as to the causes of what they observe, takes the majority of observational astronomers time. Astronomers who serve as faculty spend much of their time teaching undergraduate and graduate classes, most universities also have outreach programs including public telescope time and sometimes planetariums as a public service to encourage interest in the field. Those who become astronomers usually have a background in maths, sciences. Taking courses that teach how to research, write and present papers are also invaluable, in college/university most astronomers get a Ph. D. in astronomy or physics. Keeping in mind how few there are it is understood that graduate schools in this field are very competitive
5.
South Africa
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South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area and it is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere. About 80 percent of South Africans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, the remaining population consists of Africas largest communities of European, Asian, and multiracial ancestry. South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a variety of cultures, languages. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the recognition of 11 official languages. The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup détat, however, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the 20th century, the black majority sought to recover its rights from the dominant white minority, with this struggle playing a role in the countrys recent history. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation, since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have held political representation in the countrys democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is often referred to as the Rainbow Nation to describe the multicultural diversity. The World Bank classifies South Africa as an economy. Its economy is the second-largest in Africa, and the 34th-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, South Africa has the seventh-highest per capita income in Africa. However, poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about a quarter of the population unemployed, nevertheless, South Africa has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence. The name South Africa is derived from the geographic location at the southern tip of Africa. Upon formation the country was named the Union of South Africa in English, since 1961 the long form name in English has been the Republic of South Africa. In Dutch the country was named Republiek van Zuid-Afrika, replaced in 1983 by the Afrikaans Republiek van Suid-Afrika, since 1994 the Republic has had an official name in each of its 11 official languages. Mzansi, derived from the Xhosa noun umzantsi meaning south, is a name for South Africa. South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human fossil sites in the world, extensive fossil remains have been recovered from a series of caves in Gauteng Province. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has termed the Cradle of Humankind
6.
Cape of Good Hope
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The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. In fact, the southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas, when following the western side of the African coastline from the equator, however, the Cape of Good Hope marks the point where a ship begins to travel more eastward than southward. Thus, the first modern rounding of the cape in 1488 by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias was a milestone in the attempts by the Portuguese to establish trade relations with the Far East. Dias called the cape Cabo das Tormentas, which was the name of the Cape of Good Hope. As one of the capes of the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a waypoint on the Cape Route and the route followed by clipper ships to the Far East and Australia. The term Cape of Good Hope is also used in three ways, It is a section of the Table Mountain National Park, within which the cape of the same name, as well as Cape Point. Prior to its incorporation into the park, this section constituted the Cape Point Nature Reserve. It was the name of the early Cape Colony established by the Dutch in 1652, just before the Union of South Africa was formed, the term referred to the entire region that in 1910 was to become the Cape of Good Hope Province. When Eudoxus was returning from his voyage to India the wind forced him south of the Gulf of Aden. Somewhere along the coast of East Africa, he found the remains of the ship, due to its appearance and the story told by the natives, Eudoxus concluded that the ship was from Gades and had sailed anti-clockwise around Africa, passing the Cape and entering the Indian Ocean. This inspired him to repeat the voyage and attempt a circumnavigation of the continent, organising the expedition on his own account he set sail from Gades and began to work down the African coast. The difficulties were too great, however, and he was obliged to return to Europe, after this failure he again set out to circumnavigate Africa. Although some, such as Pliny, claimed that Eudoxus did achieve his goal, in the 1450 Fra Mauro map, the Indian Ocean is depicted as connected to the Atlantic. It sailed for 40 days in a south-westerly direction without ever finding anything other than wind and water. According to these people themselves, the ship went some 2,000 miles ahead until - once favourable conditions came to an end - it turned round and sailed back to Cape Diab in 70 days. The ships called junks that navigate these seas carry four masts or more, some of which can be raised or lowered, and have 40 to 60 cabins for the merchants and only one tiller. They can navigate without a compass, because they have an astrologer, thus one can believe and confirm what is said by both these and those, and that they had therefore sailed 4,000 miles
7.
Biggleswade
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Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. New housing developments mean that expansion is predicted to continue into the foreseeable future, Biggleswade is located about 40 miles north of Central London and 20 miles to the west-south-west of Cambridge. Situated with a station on the East Coast Main Line, Biggleswade is around half-an-hour from the city by train. In 2011 the population of the town was about 16,550, the Biggleswade civil parish also includes the nearby hamlet of Holme, Bedfordshire. The town lies just off the A1, Britains Great North Road between London and Edinburgh - and the B1040, which leads to Potton in the north, Biggleswade is also situated on the A6001, which leads to Langford and Henlow to the south. At the north end of Biggleswade past Shortmead House lies a solar farm, whilst a wind farm of ten turbines sits beyond the south end of the town. The area around Biggleswade is thought to have been inhabited from around 10,000 BC, in Roman times, a loop road known as the White Way passed through Biggleswade, linking up with the Ermine Way at Godmanchester. Biggleswade is mentioned in the Domesday Book, the entry reads Bichelesuuade/Pichelsuuade, Ralph de lIsle. 2 mills Variations on spelling include Bykeleswad, in 1396, the spelling Bykleswade and its variations occur in Law records of the 15th century, e. g. in 1430. In 2001 a gold bearing the name Coenwulf was discovered at Biggleswade on a footpath beside the River Ivel. The 4.33 g mancus, worth about 30 silver pennies, is only the eighth known Anglo-Saxon gold coin dating to the mid to late Anglo-Saxon period, the coins inscription, DE VICO LVNDONIAE, indicates that it was minted in London. In 1132, Henry I granted the manor of Biggleswade to Bishop Alexander – Alexander the Magnificent – of Lincoln to help endow Lincoln Cathedral. The town was granted a charter to hold a market during the reign of King John – a market is held in the market place in the centre of the town every Tuesday and Saturday. The medieval Church of St Andrew is the parish church. Biggleswade Castle existed in earlier times, as did a manor at Stratton Park Moated Enclosure, on 16 June 1785 there was a large fire in the town. The fire started at the Crown Inn and spread rapidly through the neighbouring streets, by the time the fire had been brought under control, nearly one-third of the town had been destroyed, including 103 houses leaving 332 people homeless. A national appeal was launched to raise funds for the people who had lost their homes. In the local church there is a stained glass window depicting the fire
8.
Bedfordshire
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Bedfordshire is a county in the East of England. It is a county and a historic county, covered by three unitary authorities, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton. Bedfordshire is bordered by Cambridgeshire to the east/northeast, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the east/southeast. It is the fourteenth most densely populated county of England, with half the population of the county living in the two largest built-up areas, Luton and the county town, Bedford. The highest elevation point is 243 metres on Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns, the traditional nickname for people from Bedfordshire is Clangers, deriving from a local dish comprising a suet crust pastry filled with meat in one end and jam in the other. The first recorded use of the name in 1011 was Bedanfordscir, meaning the shire or county of Bedford, which itself means Bedas ford. Bedfordshire was historically divided into nine hundreds, Barford, Biggleswade, Clifton, Flitt, Manshead, Redbournestoke, Stodden, Willey, Wixamtree, along with the liberty and borough of Bedford. There have been changes to the county boundary, for example, in 1897 Kensworth. The southern end of the county is on the ridge known as the Chiltern Hills. The remainder is part of the drainage basin of the River Great Ouse. Most of Bedfordshires rocks are clays and sandstones from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, local clay has been used for brick-making of Fletton style bricks in the Marston Vale. The Greensand Ridge is an escarpment across the county from near Leighton Buzzard to near Gamlingay in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire is relatively dry, being situated in the east of England. Average annual rainfall is 597.6 millimetres at Bedford, october is the wettest month with 62.5 millimetres, February the driest with 36.7 millimetres. While there is little difference from month to month there are more wet days in autumn and winter but often heavier individual falls in spring and summer, of note were the 1998 Easter floods. Average temperatures in Bedford range from a low of 0.8 °C overnight in February to a high of 22.1 °C during the day in July, in the last 20 years the highest temperature recorded was 35.9 °C. The lowest temperature on record in Bedfordshire is −20.6 °C at Woburn on 25 February 1947, the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner is Kathryn Holloway who is a member of the Conservative Party. For local government purposes, Bedfordshire is divided into three authorities, the boroughs of Bedford and Luton, and the District of Central Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire County Council was abolished on 1 April 2009, although the three continue to form a county for ceremonial functions such as lieutenancy and High Sheriff
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