Belfast (/ˈbɛlfɑːst/ BEL-fahst; from Irish: Béal Feirste, meaning "mouth of the sand-bank ford",[4] Irish pronunciation: [bʲeːlˠ ˈfʲɛɾˠ(ə)ʃtʲə]) is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom[5] and the second-largest on the island of Ireland. It had a population of 333,871 as of 2015.[2] Belfast suffered greatly in the Troubles: in the 1970s and 1980s it was reported to be one of the world's most dangerous cities,[6] with a homicide rate around 31 per 100,000.[7]