Ballymena (borough) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ballymena Borough |
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| Area | 632 km2 (244 sq mi) Ranked 8th of 26 |
| District HQ | Ballymena |
| Catholic | 22.6% |
| Protestant | 71.4% |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| Councillors | |
Ballymena was a special area in Northern Ireland that used to have its own local government. It was known as a "borough," which means it had a special status. This area was created on October 1, 1973. It included the main town of Ballymena and smaller towns nearby. These towns were Broughshane, Cullybackey, Galgorm, Ahoghill, and Portglenone.
The Ballymena borough covered about 632 square kilometers (200 square miles). In 2011, about 64,044 people lived there. Ballymena was located right in the middle of Northern Ireland. It was easy to get to by the M2 motorway. It also had a train station on the Belfast-Derry/Londonderry railway line.
Getting to airports was also simple. Belfast International Airport was only about 29 kilometers (18 miles) away. Belfast City Airport was about 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Ballymena. The borough was also close to important seaports. Larne was 32 kilometers (20 miles) away, and Belfast was 43 kilometers (27 miles) away. In 2015, the Ballymena borough was replaced by a new council called Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
How Ballymena Was Represented
The people of Ballymena had a say in how they were governed. They elected people to represent them in two important places:
Westminster Parliament
The Westminster Parliament is the main government for the whole United Kingdom. It is located in London, England. People from Ballymena, along with those from nearby areas like Ballymoney and part of Moyle, voted for one person to represent them there. This area was called the North Antrim constituency.
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the local government for Northern Ireland. It makes decisions about things like education and health services within Northern Ireland. Just like for Westminster, Ballymena was part of the North Antrim constituency for these elections. This meant people in Ballymena helped choose who would represent them in the Assembly.
