More miles of canal than Venice
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![More miles of canal than venice photograph](/images/More_miles_of_canal_than_Venice.jpg")
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With a population of over a million and a size of over 10 miles across ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ dwarfs the Italian city state of Venice, so comparisons of canal length are not very helpful! However just as Venice developed as a renaissance powerhouse because of its trade and transport links, so ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ grew rapidly from the mid eighteenth century because of its canal networks.
The first canal was built in 1768 and at one time the ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ Canal Navigations had about 160 miles of canal across its network. Canals are now a popular tourist attraction, carrying recreational and residential boats across the region.
Reference: The Canal viewed from Livery Street Bridge, ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ (1913), WK/B11/5868
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