Leicester

Leicester (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a ceety an unitary authority area in the East Midlands aurie o Ingland. It is an aa the coonty toun o Leicestershire. The ceety lies on the River Soar an at the edge o the National Forest. In 2006, the population o the Leicester unitary authority wis estimatit at 289,700, the lairgest in the East Midlands, whilst 441,213 fowk lived in the wider Leicester Urban Aurie. Eurostat's Larger Urban Zone listed the population o the aurie at 772,400 fowk as o 2004. Leicester is the 10t maist populous settlement in the Unitit Kinrick uisin the 2001 census definitions an the urban aurie is the fifteent lairgest conurbation in the UK, the seicont lairgest in the region ahint the Nottingham Urban Aurie.

Auncient Roman pavements an baths remain in Leicester frae its early settlement as Ratae Corieltauvorum, a Roman military ootpost in a region inhabitit bi the Celtic Corieltauvi tribe. Follaein the demise o Roman society the early medieval Ratae Corieltauvorum is shroudit in obscurity, but when the settlement wis captured bi the Danes it became ane o five fortified touns important tae the Danelaw.

A newly constructit rail an canal netwirk routit through the aurie stimulatit industrial growth in the 19t century, an Leicester became a major economic centre wi a variety o manufacturers engaged in ingineerin, shoemakin an hosiery production. The economic success o these industries, an businesses ancillary tae them resultit in significant urban expansion intae the surroondin kintraside. The bundaries o Leicester wur extendit throughoot the 19t an 20t centuries, becomin a coonty borough in 1889, an grantit ceety status in 1919.

The day, Leicester is locatit on the Midland Main Line an close tae the M1 motorway. The ceety haes a lairge ethnic minority population, particularly o Sooth Asian oreegin, a product o immigration tae the Unitit Kinrick syne the Seicont Warld War. Tae cater for the Sooth Asian community, there are mony Hindu, Sikh an Muslim places o worship an the Melton Road destrict serves as a focus, containin lairge numbers o Asian restaurants an ither sma businesses. Leicester is a centre for heicher education, wi baith Leicester University an De Montfort University being based in the ceety.

Etymology

The name "Leicester" is thought tae derive frae the wirds castra o the "Ligore", meanin a camp on the River Legro, an early name for the River Soar. Leicester appears in the Domesday Book as "Ledecestre". Leicester continued tae grow throughoot the Early Modren period as a mercat toun, although it wis the Industrial Revolution that facilitatit an unparalleled process o unplanned urbanisation in the aurie.

Sister ceeties

Leicester haes a number o twin/sister ceties, these are:

• Strasbourg (Fraunce),
• Krefeld (Germany),
• Haskovo (Bulgarie),
• Masaya (Nicaragua),
• Rajkot (Indie) an
• Chongqing (Cheenae)

References

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Leicester