|
Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to the Irish Sea. Belfast Lough is a long, wide and deep expanse of water, virtually free of strong tides. The inner part of the lough comprises a series of mudflats and lagoons. The outer lough is restricted to mainly rocky shores with some small sandy bays. The outer boundary of the lough is a line joining Orlock Point and Blackhead. The main coastal towns are Bangor on the southern shore (County Down) and Carrickfergus on the northern shore (County Antrim). Other coastal settlements include Holywood, Helen's Bay, Greenisland and Whitehead. ==Name== Belfast Lough is known in Irish as ''Loch Lao'', which was Anglicised as 'Lough Lee'. Earlier spellings include ''Loch Laoigh'' and ''Loch Laigh''. This name means "sea inlet of the calf". The River Lagan, which flows into it, was also historically known as the ''Lao''. It is believed that the lough and river were named after a "bovine goddess". In the 2nd century, the Greek geographer Ptolemy referred to it as the ''Logia''.〔(PlaceNames NI: Belfast Lough )〕 Before Belfast grew into a city, the lough was known in English as 'Carrickfergus Bay'. In Ulster-Scots it is called ''Bilfawst Loch'' or ''Craigfergus Loch''.〔(A Wurd o Walcome ) Blackbird Festival. Retrieved 20 October 2011.〕〔(''The Online Scots Dictionary'' ) Retrieved 21 August 2012.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Belfast Lough」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|