Bristol - city in the south west of England .

Bristol is the largest city in the south west of England, and is the second largest city in the whole of the south of England. It is 105 miles west of London, borders the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset, and is also close to the historic Roman city of Bath.

There are 34 places in the world also sharing the name Bristol. Most of them are in the United States, but there are also some in Canada, Peru, Costa Rica and Jamaica.

Bristol had developed into an important port by the 12th century, and was used for a lot of England's trade with Ireland. Around this time Bristol also become known for its shipbuilding and manufacturing industries.

By the time the 14th century had arrived, Bristol, along with York and Norwich, was one of the three main medieval towns in England after London. It is estimated that Bristol had approximately 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants when the Black Death struck in 1348.

Bristol is known for its slave trade, and from 1700 to 1807, during the height of the slave trade, over 2,000 slaving ships were fitted out in the city. These were used to carry an estimated half a million slaves to the Americas from Africa.

A large part of Bristol was bombed during the war, and had to be rebuilt. However, despite this, there are some wonderful historic parts to the city. The centre of the city had undergone recent redevelopment, with the creation of the new Cabot Circus shopping area, which is like a cross between an outdoor shopping centre and an indoor shopping mall.