Glasgow is Scotland's largest city, located on the River Clyde in West Central Scotland.
It is also one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, officially known as the City of Glasgow and, like many west of Scotland councils is effectively a Labour fiefdom, having been run by the party for well over 30 years. Glasgow had a population of 577,869 at the time of the 2001 census, while approximately 1.8 million people live in the city's metropolitan area. The name comes from the Brythonic glas cu (compare modern Gaelic Glaschu), meaning green hollow, and usually romantically translated as "the dear green place". It was until the 1970's popularly referred to as "Glesca" by Glaswegians themselves, however in more recent times the original dialect seems to be diminishing.

Coat of Arms
The coat of arms shows Glasgow's patron saint, Saint Kentigern also known as Saint Mungo, and includes four emblems - the bird, tree, bell, and fish. The emblems represent miracles Saint Mungo was supposed to have performed. The motto of the city is "Let Glasgow Flourish" and this is part of the arms. The motto is derived from Saint Mungo's original sermon: "Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word and the praising of thy name". The original version is inscribed on a bell made in 1637 which states "Lord let Glasgow flovrichse throvgh the preaching of thy word and praising thy name"
Children are taught to remember the arms using the following verse:


The motto was more recently remembered by a song of the same name by 'Hue and Cry', a popular musical group of Glasgow origin. (D.Hill)
Modern Glasgow
In the 1990s Glasgow has rebuilt itself and tried to move away from the industries that it was once famous for. It was awarded the European City of Culture in 1990, which was followed by the award of City of Architecture and Design in 1999. It was also the European Capital of Sport in 2003.
Glasgow is the capital of new music in Scotland, and has many venues and clubs which promote new bands & DJs etc such as the Barfly, and the famous King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. Additionally, it is home to some of the most well known and respected artists in the UK, with bands such as Franz Ferdinand, as well as a few of pop?s most prized.
Redevelopment of residential areas, combined with the increased cultural activities, have contributed to a better environment in Glasgow. With this the City Council has been successful in attracting tourists, conferences as well as major sporting events to the city. Public housing, previously administered by the Glasgow City Council, was transferred to the not-for-profit Glasgow Housing Association in 2003. This affected some 80,000 properties and created Britain's largest social landlord in an innovative tenant-led organisation.
The local police force is Strathclyde Police Force. Its area covers Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Dunbartonshire and Argyll & Bute. Established in 1975, the force serves 2.2 million people and replaced the local county constabularies and the City of Glasgow Police, the UK's first police force.
Glasgow's museums include:

* Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (currently closed for refurbishment until January 2006)
* The Burrell Collection
* Fossil Grove
* The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)
* McLellan Galleries
* Museum of Transport
* The People's Palace
* Pollok House
* Provand's Lordship
* St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
* Scotland Street School Museum

Edinburgh Hotels
Glasgow hotels
The Mitchell Library is the largest public reference library in Europe.
Scotland's leading cultural institutions, Scottish Opera and The Royal Scottish National Orchestra are based here and the city also has a longstanding and lively popular music scene based around venues such as The Barrowlands and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut.
Glasgow has a number of theatres offering everything from Shakespearean tragedy to side-splitting comedy.

* Pavilion Theatre
* Royal Concert Hall
* Citizens Theatre
* King's Theatre Glasgow
* Tron Theatre
* Theatre Royal
Glasgow has a number of parks and open spaces that give the city places to "breathe". Among these are:

* Bellahouston Park
* Glasgow Green
* Kelvingrove Park
* Victoria Park
* Maxwell Park
* Pollok Country Park
* Queen's Park
* Rouken Glen
* Botanic Gardens
* Alexandra Park

The city was host to the two Great Exhibitions of 1881 and 1901. More recently it was European Capital of Culture 1990, National City of Sport 1995-1999, UK City of Architecture and Design 1999 and European Capital of Sport 2003.
Glasgow on the map of scotland: Map
Map of Glasgow city center: Click here to see the map