The administrative hub of the unitary authority of the city of Glasgow is situated in south-west central Scotland, on the River Clyde. Glasgow, Gaelic for “dear green place”, is a city in west-central Scotland, located along both banks of the River Clyde, 20 miles (32 km) from the mouth of that river on the western or Atlantic coast. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and forms an independent municipal area that lies entirely within the historic county of Lanarkshire. The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus is a 1677-bed acute hospital located in Govan, south-west Glasgow.
The city is renowned for its cultural institutions, such as the National Theatre of Scotland, the Citizens Theatre, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Street School Museum and St. Mungo's Bell. Most of Glasgow's Victorian and Edwardian municipal swimming pools have been closed or demolished, and the city council has invested in new and large leisure centers, such as Tollcross, Springburn, Gorbals, Scotstoun and Bellahouston. Glasgow is home to Scotland's only professional basketball team, the Glasgow Rocks, which compete in the British Basketball League.
All international airports can be easily accessed by public transport, as the GLA and the EDI are directly connected by bus routes from the main bus station and a direct rail connection to PIK from Glasgow Central Station. The city also boasts ornate greenhouses in its Botanic Garden, providing a “green lung” for nearly every suburb of Glasgow. Glasgow has a large urban transport system, managed primarily by the Strathclyde Transport Association (SPT). Festivals include the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, the Glasgow International Visual Arts Festival, the Glasgow International Jazz Festival, Celtic Connections, the Glasgow Fair, the Glasgow Film Festival, the West End Festival, the Merchant City Festival, Glasgay and the World Bagpipe Band Championship.
There is only one senior Shinty club in Glasgow - Glasgow Mid-Argyll - as well as two university teams from the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow. This has led to large-scale remodeling of much of the poorest housing stock in north Glasgow and to broader regeneration of many areas such as Ruchill that have been transformed; many deteriorated homes have already been remodeled or replaced by modern developments. Glasgow has hosted numerous exhibitions over the years such as the 1988 Garden Festival and being named UK City of Architecture in 1999. It was also European Capital of Culture in 1990 and National City of Sport 1995—1999 and European Capital of Sport in 2003. In Holyrood, Glasgow is represented by sixteen members of Scottish Parliament (MSP), nine elected to represent individual constituencies once every four years using “first after post” criterion and seven elected as regional members by proportional representation. To the east of Glasgow Cross is St Andrew's in the Square - Scotland's oldest post-Reformation church built between 1739 and 1757 - showcasing Presbyterian grandeur typical of churches built by wealthy tobacco merchants. North Lanarkshire is a municipal area located west-central Scotland on eastern periphery of Glasgow metropolitan area. In 1450 John Stewart - Glasgow's first Lord Provost - left a donation so that a Saint Mungo bell could be made and rang all over city so citizens could pray for their soul.