Plymouth (England)

Plymouth is a major port city located on the south coast of Devon, England. The port is approx 60 km (37 ml) southwest of Exeter and approx 310 km (190 ml) west-southwest of London. The port is located between the mouths of Plym River (to the east) and Tamar River (to the west). Here they both join to create the boundary with Cornwall.

The city covers a total area of approx 79,83 km2 (30,82 ml2) and has population of around 262,700 people (2015 census), making it the 30th most populous area in the UK and the 2nd-largest city in South West, after Bristol.

• The early history of Plymouth extends to the Bronze Age. The first settlement emerged during that time at Mount Batten and continued as Roman Empire's trading post, until it was surpassed by the prosperous village of Sutton established in the 9th century, now named Plymouth.
• In 1620, Pilgrim Fathers departed the city for the New World and founded Plymouth Colony, the 2nd English settlement in what is today the United States of America. The city was held by the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War and was besieged between 1642-1646.
• During the Industrial Revolution, the city of Plymouth grew as a major commercial shipping port. It handled passengers and imports from the Americas, and exported local minerals (copper, tin, lime, arsenic and china clay) while the neighbouring city of Devonport became a strategical Royal Naval dockyard and shipbuilding site.
• In 1914 a trio of neighbouring independent towns, the urban district of East Stonehouse and the county boroughs of Plymouth and Devonport, were merged to form a County Borough. The combined settlement took the name of Plymouth and achieved city status in 1928.
• The naval importance of the city later led to its partial destruction during WWII, an act famous as the Plymouth Blitz. The city centre was completely rebuilt after the war and subsequent expansion in 1967 led to incorporation of Plymstock and Plympton along with other outlying suburbs.
• Locally, Plymouth is governed by Plymouth City Council and nationally represented by 3 MPs. The economy of Plymouth remains strongly influenced by seafaring and shipbuilding. Ferry links are available to Brittany (St Malo and Roscoff) and Spain (Santander), but since the 1990s there is a tendency toward service-based economy.

Part of Port Plymouth is also HMNB Devonport - UK's (and Western Europe's) largest operational naval base. The abbrev "HMNB" stands for "Her Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport".

In January 2018, Port Plymouth became Devon England's second port (together with Torquay / Torbay) on the list of UK cruise ports The port officially announced joining CruiseBritain, and its ambition to become a major cruise ship travel destination by 2020. CruiseBritain represents cruisetour companies and UK seaports.

For season 2018, the cruise port had scheduled 5 ship calls - by the Phoenix Reisen liners Artania and Amadea, and the Seabourn Cruises's new ship Seabourn Ovation (launched 2018),

Highlights: The Hoe, Pilgrims Steps

Plymouth cruise terminal