CRAIGAVON

district and borough, Northern Ireland, established in 1973 from portions of Counties Antrim, Down, and Armagh. It is situated south of Lough (lake) Neagh and is bordered by the districts of Dungannon to the west, Armagh to the southwest, Banbridge to the southeast, and Lisburn to the east. Its administrative seat is Craigavon new town. In the northern part of Craigavon district, near the shore of Lough Neagh, the land is flat and composed largely of peat soils; in the south it rises to undulating lowlands with scattered drumlins (oval mounds of glacial till). Craigavon is an important fruit-growing district, and cattle, poultry, and pigs are raised as well. Industries in the district include textiles, metal fabrication, food processing, pharmaceutical products, and the manufacture of motor vehicle components. A national highway extends from Belfast through Craigavon district to the town of Dungannon. Area 147 square miles (381 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) 74,350. new town (built after 1966), Craigavon district, Northern Ireland, southwest of Belfast. Craigavon new town was developed under the New Towns Act of 1965 as a commercial, light industrial, and residential centre linking the older towns of Lurgan and Portadown. It was named after James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, the first prime minister (192140) of Northern Ireland. The new town's planning concept aimed at creating an urban area set in the countryside with linear interior road patterns and easy external access. By the early 1980s Craigavon had become a major centre of economic development outside of Belfast. Pop. (1981) 10,195.