Glasgow (the largest city in Scotland) is located on the River Clyde with a population of 612000 (although it is down from the 1.1 million peak in the 1950s) while 1.8 million people live in the metropolitan area of the city.

Glasgow was founded by the Christian missionary Saint Mungo in the 6th century and became a city in the 12th century. In the 16th century Glasgow became a major city in trade and an industrial city as well because of an abundance of coal and iron.

In addition immigration allowed cheap labour in Glasgow, and because of the immigration of Catholic Irish to the city which was mainly Protestants, created a religious rivalry. This can still be seen today in the rivalry between the city's 2 most popular football teams (Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic). By the late 19th century Glasgow was one of the richest cities in the world

But by the time World War One came and went, the city went into economic hardship, this continued into the 1960s and today only 2 of what was many shipyards remain due to Government defecne contracts

The 1970s and 1980s were not good times for Glasgow, mass unemployment and urban decay were rife, it was not helped much by the then Conserative government which ignored Glasgow's plight. But the city has undergone a slow rebirth and is home to many I.T comapanies, insurance companies, well known banks, etc.

Glasgow was awarded the European City Of Culture in 1990 and in 1999 was awarded the European City Of Architecture, in 2003 it was named the European Capital Of Sport