Ireland is located in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean in Western Europe
and is separated from the United Kingdom by a stretch of water called
the Irish Sea. The country is largely low-lying with the highest mountain
being Carrantuohill in Co. Kerry, measuring 1,041 metres (3,415 feet).
The longest river is the Shannon, which in stretching some 370 km
(230 miles) across the country, is actually the longest river in Great
Britain and Ireland.
Connaught
Leinster
Ulster
Munster
Ireland is divided into four provinces – Leinster,
in the midlands and east (12 counties of Louth, Meath, Dublin, Wicklow,
Wexford, Kildare, Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford);
Munster, in the south and southwest (6
counties of Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary);
Connaught in the west (5 counties of Galway,
Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon) and Ulster
in the North (9 counties of Donegal, Derry, Antrim, Down, Tyrone,
Armagh, Monaghan, Cavan and Fermanagh). The Republic of Ireland consists
of 26 counties, while Northern Ireland comprises the six counties
of Derry, Antrim, Down, Tyrone, Armagh and Fermanagh.
The entire island of Ireland covers an area of 32,544 sq miles (84,288
sq km). The Republic of Ireland accounts for approximately five-sixths
of the landmass, measuring 27,132 sq miles (70,273 sq km), while Northern
Ireland accounts for the remainder. Dublin is the capital city of
the Irish Republic, while other major cities include Waterford, Limerick,
Cork and Galway. Belfast is the main city in Northern Ireland, with
Derry also being a sizeable city.
