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Ards Peninsula (Northern Ireland) with Random Industries

A map of the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland, along with most of the rest of County Down and a part of County Antrim. The heightmap was generated using terrain.party and I did a good deal of editing by hand to soften the coasts, increase accuracy, and place trees.

One of the places I grew up, Northern Ireland's Ards Peninsula is a unique landscape dotted with villages and small towns. Bracketing Strangford Lough, it is located on the east coast of Northern Ireland, and indeed the island's most easterly point is on the peninsula. The large town of Bangor is the largest settlement on the peninsula, whilst Newtownards is the second-largest, and the town I lived in with my grandmother at times as a child.

Further west lies the much larger city of Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland and second-largest city on the island of Ireland, after Dublin. A city of historical importance, Belfast has at times been both the world's largest producer of linen, and home to the world's largest shipyard at Harland & Wolff, most famously the builders of RMS Titanic, but also of many other ships. Belfast played a major role in the Allied naval efforts during WW2, and was perhaps the foremost battlefield of The Troubles, Northern Ireland's long-running civil conflict. Since the Good Friday Agreement ended the great majority of violence, Belfast has seen a significant resurgence in investment, construction, and culture.

In game terms, we have 19 towns, with the large ones grouped in the north, and numerous small village dotted around. This is supplemented by 108 randomly placed industries. Will you focus on the north and capitalize on the close links between Belfast and nearby towns? Or will you look to the peninsula proper, where the gentle terrain might allow for long, profitable rail links that turn small seaside villages into bustling cities?