Northern Ireland, built-in portion of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, situated in the northeasterly part of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland is bounded on the North and nor’-east by the North Channel, on the sou’-east by the Irish Sea, and on the South and West by the Republic of Ireland. It includes Rathlin Island in the North Channel and several smaller offshore islands. Northern Ireland is besides known as Ulster, because it comprises six of the nine counties that constituted the former state of Ulster. The entire country of Northern Ireland is 14,148 sq kilometer ( 5463 sq myocardial infarction ) .

Land and Resources

Northern Ireland has an utmost northern to southern extension of about 135 kilometers ( about 85 myocardial infarction ) and an utmost eastern to western extension of about 175 kilometers ( about 110 myocardial infarction ) . The shoreline is characterized by legion abnormalities and is approximately 530 kilometers ( about 330 myocardial infarctions ) long. The major indentures are Lough Foyle in the North and Belfast, Strangford, and Carlingford loughs in the E. A dramatic characteristic of the northern seashore is the Giant ‘s Causeway, a stone formation dwelling of 1000s of closely placed, polygonal pillars of black basalt.

The state consists chiefly of a low, level field in the approximative centre of which is Lough Neagh ( about 390 sq km/about 150 sq myocardial infarction ) , the largest lake in the British Isles. Other of import lakes are Lough Erne and Upper Lough Erne. Apart from several stray lifts, three major countries of considerable tallness are the Sperrin Mountains in the Northwest, the Antrim Plateau along the northeasterly seashore, and the Mourne Mountains in the sou’-east. The highest point in the state is Slieve Donard ( 852 m/2796 foot ) , a extremum in the Mourne Mountains.

The main rivers are the Foyle River, which forms portion of the northwesterly boundary and flows into Lough Foyle at Londonderry, and the Upper Bann and Lower Bann rivers. The former rises in the Mourne Mountains and empties into Lough Neagh ; the latter flows out of Lough Neagh to the North Channel. Among the many other rivers are the Main, Blackwater, Lagan, Erne, and Bush. Because of the by and large level terrain, drainage is hapless, and the countries of fen are extended.

Climate

The clime of Northern Ireland is mild and moist throughout the twelvemonth. The predominating western air currents from the Gulf Stream are mostly responsible for the deficiency of utmost summer heat and winter cold. The mean one-year temperature is about 10 & # 1114 ; C ( 50 & # 1114 ; F ) ; temperatures average about 14.4 & # 1114 ; C ( about 58 & # 1114 ; F ) in July and about 4.4 & # 1114 ; C ( about 40 & # 1114 ; F ) in January. Rainfall is distributed equally during the twelvemonth. The one-year precipitation often exceeds 1016 millimeter ( 40 in ) in the North and is approximately 760 millimeters ( about 30 in ) in the South. The degree of humidness is high.

Natural Resources

The most valuable natural resources of Northern Ireland are its fertile dirt and rich grazing lands. Natural waterpower is abundant. The main minerals are basalt, limestone, sand and crushed rock, granite, chalk, clay, and shale ; bauxite, Fe ore, and coal besides are found in little sums. Peat is of import as a fuel.

Plants and Animals

In general, the workss and animate beings of Northern Ireland are similar to those of the island as a whole. The lone distinctive works is a species of wild orchid, Spiranthes stricta, found in the vale of the Upper and Lower Bann rivers. Distinctive species of carnal life include the pollan, a freshwater assortment of whitefish found in Lough Neagh and Lough Erne.

Population

The bulk of the people are of Scottish or English lineage and are known normally as the Scotch-Irish. The balance of the population is Irish, chiefly native to Ulster.

English is the exclusive official linguistic communication. Unlike the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland does non promote the usage of the Gaelic linguistic communication.

Population Features

The population of Northern Ireland ( 1992 preliminary ) was 1,610,300. The overall denseness was about 113 individuals per sq kilometer ( about 295 per sq myocardial infarction ) . The population is unevenly distributed, with greater concentrations in the eastern half. It is about every bit divided between urban and rural inhabitants.

The capital and largest metropolis of Northern Ireland is Belfast ( population, 1991 preliminary, 279,237 ) , which is surrounded by heavy industries including ship building and fabrics. The other major metropolis in Northern Ireland is Londonderry ( 72,334 ) .

Political Divisions

Northern Ireland is divided into 26 territories. Each territory is governed by an elected council.

Religion

Religious association has been a cardinal determiner in Northern Ireland ‘s history, political relations, and societal life since the seventeenth century. At assorted times it has determined entree to vote and occupations, criterions of life, and instruction. In modern times it has come to typify the differences between the posterities of the original Irish dwellers and those of the colonist community. The posterities of the Scottish and English colonists are preponderantly Protestant ; those of the original Irish dwellers are overpoweringly Roman Catholic. In the early 1990s, about 51 per centum of the population regarded themselves as Protestant, and about 39 per centum as Roman Catholic. The Roman Catholics are the largest individual denomination. The largest Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian, the Church of Ireland, and the Methodist. Unlike England, Northern Ireland has no established, or province, church. The Church of Ireland, at one clip a subdivision of the Church of England, was disassociated from the province in 1871.

Education

Education in Northern Ireland is free and compulsory for kids between the ages of 5 and 15. The educational system is basically similar to that of England. In the early 1990s Northern Ireland had about 1100 primary schools, yearly attended by about 191,000 students and staffed by more than 8200 instructors. Secondary and particular schools numbered about 275 and were attended by about 147,000 pupils taught by 10,300 teachers. The state has two universities: Queen ‘s University of Belfast, founded as Queen ‘s College in 1845, and the University of Ulster ( 1984 ) , with campuses in Coleraine, Belfast, Jordanstown, and Londonderry. The entire one-year university registration in the early 1990s was approximately 17,000. Two colleges, the Belfast College of Technology ( 1901 ) and the Union Theological College ( 1978 ) , are in Belfast.

Culture

Originally, Northern Ireland was culturally identical from the balance of Ireland. However, with the moving ridges of colonisation from England and Scotland during the seventeenth century, the northeasterly state of Ulster evolved a typical cultural individuality. The colonists, who came to organize a bulk in the part, were British in civilization and tradition, and Protestant in faith ; their posterities are committed to maintaining the state constitutionally allied with Great Britain. The Irish dwellers, in a minority and for centuries politically and economically marginalized, had as their end the reunion of the island of Ireland. In add-on, Northern Ireland is well more urbanised and industrialized than the Republic of Ireland.

Northern Ireland portions the early cultural glorifications of all Ireland. To Ulster belongs one of the two great rhythms of Irish myths that contain the feats of C & # 1071 ; Chulainn and the tragic narrative of Deirdre ( see Gaelic Literature ) . There is a booming theatrical motion in Belfast, and much literary activity. Belfast is the base of Opera Northern Ireland, which presents seasons at the Grand Opera H

Ouse in the metropolis, and besides tours the state. A concert dance company is based in the capital, as is the Belfast Philharmonic Society, one of Britain ‘s prima choral societies. The Ulster Symphony Orchestra is among the taking orchestras of Britain. Queen ‘s University hosts the one-year Belfast Festival.

Northern Ireland has two national museums: the Ulster Museum in Belfast, which houses a aggregation of Irish antiquities ; and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Holywood, County Down.

Economy

Northern Ireland ‘s gross domestic merchandise in 1992 was about $ 18.3 billion. In general, the economic system of Northern Ireland is based on agribusiness and fabrication and is closely tied to that of Great Britain as a whole ; about half of fabrication end product is sold to the remainder of Britain ; one one-fourth is sold locally. Northern Ireland has been peculiarly difficult hit by the diminution of traditional industries like ship building, on which much of its prosperity and many occupations depended. The deficiency of economic chances, peculiarly for immature people, played a function in the sectarian struggles of the seventiess. At the same clip, nevertheless, the menace of terrorist act hindered attempts to pull investing and make new occupations in the 1980s. Considerable public outgo has been devoted to urban reclamation in Belfast and Londonderry. Assorted bureaus have been established to pull new companies and promote little concern, backed by revenue enhancement and other inducements. Helped by moves towards a peaceable colony of the sectarian force, several of import new investings were announced in the early 1990s.

Public finance comes preponderantly from revenue enhancements ( 50 per centum in 1994 ) and authorities grants in assistance from Great Britain ( 41 per centum ) ; Northern Ireland besides received considerable support from the European Union.

Agribusiness

Small farms predominate in Northern Ireland, and production by and large includes both harvests and farm animal. Livestock on farms in the early 1990s numbered about 1.5 million cowss, 2.6 million sheep, 588,000 hogs, and 12.3 million domestic fowl. The taking harvests in the state were murphies, barley, hay, oats, Brassica rapas, apples, and pears.

Forestry and Fishing

Northern Ireland is sparsely forested, but the province afforestation plan has made considerable advancement, and in the early 1980s about 60,000 coppers m ( about 2.1 million copper foot ) of lumber were felled yearly. The one-year gimmick of fish and shellfish in the early 1990s was about 15,000 metric dozenss. Saltwater fishing is centered on the eastern seashore, chiefly off Newcastle ; the most of import species caught include herring, whiting, and crenations. Freshwater piscaries operate in Lough Neagh, Lough Erne, and Upper Lough Erne ; the species caught include salmon, trout, eel, and pollan.

Mining and Fabrication

Mining and quarrying are comparatively unimportant economic activities in Northern Ireland. They employed merely about 6200 workers in the late eightiess. The main minerals are basalt, sand and crushed rock, peat, chalk, limestone, and granite.

Fabrication is a major beginning of the national merchandise. In the early 1990s the industrial end product of Northern Ireland was about 18 per centum of the gross domestic merchandise ( GDP ) . Fabrication and building accounted for about fifth part of the employed work force.

Traditionally, the taking industries of Northern Ireland have been the industry of fabrics and vesture. Linen is the most of import fabric manufactured ; cotton fabric and cloths woven of man-made fibres rank following in importance. Shipbuilding and the industry of aircraft besides are major industries ; big shipyards are located in Belfast. Other industries include textile machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, processed nutrient, spirits, baccy merchandises, and chemicals.

External Trade

About 80 per centum of Northern Ireland ‘s external trade is with Great Britain, and the British lb is the legal stamp of Northern Ireland. A big part of the exports to Great Britain is transshipped to other states, nevertheless. Northern Ireland exports linen goods, fabrics, vesture, machinery, and nutrient, notably meat, murphies, and dairy merchandises. Imports consist chiefly of crude oil and other fuels, natural stuffs and metals, green goods, and an mixture of manufactured goods.

Transportation system and Communicationss

Northern Ireland has approximately 23,730 kilometers ( about 14,745 myocardial infarctions ) of roads, including 113 kilometer ( 70 myocardial infarction ) of expressway. The Northern Ireland Railways Company provided rider service on 357 kilometer ( 222 myocardial infarction ) of railway path. Daily steamer and air hose services connect Belfast with the remainder of the United Kingdom.

Northern Ireland has three day-to-day newspapers, the Belfast Telegraph, the Irish News, and the News Letter, all published in Belfast. In the early 1990s they had a combined day-to-day circulation of approximately 272,000.

Labor

The system of labour dealingss in Northern Ireland is based on the same rules as that of Great Britain. A major proportion of trade union members in Northern Ireland are members of trade brotherhoods with central offices in Great Britain.

Government

Northern Ireland, an built-in portion of Great Britain, elects members ( now 17 ) to the British House of Commons. In recent old ages some of those elected have chosen non to travel to London ( normally in order to protest the domestic state of affairs ) . The Government of Ireland Act, passed by the British Parliament in 1920 and modified by several subsequent understandings between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, is the state ‘s basic constitutional papers. In 1972, nevertheless, because of political and spiritual discord, London imposed direct regulation. A 1973 act gave Northern Ireland much local liberty, while Great Britain retained control over defence, foreign policy, currency, duties, and communications. In January 1974, direct regulation was relinquished, but it was reimposed once more that same twelvemonth. The office of governor and the Northern Ireland Parliament were abolished, and the secretary of province for Northern Ireland became the caput of authorities. The 78-member assembly that met from 1982 to 1986 had merely reexamining and confer withing duty. In 1985, an understanding granted the Republic of Ireland a limited function in regulating Northern Ireland and set up an intergovernmental conference of British and Irish cabinet curates.

Judiciary

The highest tribunal is the Supreme Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland, which consists of the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Crown Court. Lower tribunals include county tribunals with condemnable and civil legal power and magistrates ‘ tribunals for minor discourtesies.

Local Government

Northern Ireland is divided into 26 territories for the intents of local authorities. Each territory is run by a council responsible for a assortment of administrative maps.

Political Parties

The Ulster Unionist Party governed Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1972. More late, the party has split into two groups ; the Official Unionist and the Democratic Unionist ; the latter are opposed to any via media on Northern Ireland ‘s hereafter in relation to Great Britain and the most hostile to the Republic of Ireland. The other chief political parties are the Social Democratic and Labour Party, which supports peaceable reunion with Ireland, the Alliance Party, and Sinn Fein, the political wing of the illegitimate Irish Republican Army. Until 1994 Sinn Fein was excluded from negotiations between Britain and the Republic of Ireland on the hereafter of Northern Ireland because it refused to denounce force. However, its campaigners participated in local and national elections.