Ireland — map and facts

About Ireland

Ireland is an island nation in north-western Europe, occupying most of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Republic of Ireland has a population of approximately 5.1 million people and is a parliamentary republic with a president as head of state and a taoiseach as head of government. The country is a member of the European Union and has experienced remarkable economic transformation since the 1990s, becoming one of Europe's wealthiest nations. Irish culture is globally influential, with a rich tradition of literature, music, dance, and storytelling. The Irish language (Gaeilge) is an official language alongside English, and while spoken natively by a minority concentrated in the Gaeltacht regions of the west, it holds deep symbolic importance. Ireland is known for its warm and welcoming hospitality, its distinctive pub culture, and its vibrant festival calendar. The diaspora created by waves of emigration — particularly following the Great Famine of the 1840s — has spread Irish cultural influence to North America, Australia, and beyond.

Geography and Landscape

Ireland occupies approximately 70,000 square kilometres of an island lying to the west of Great Britain, separated by the Irish Sea. The landscape is famously green, earning the country the nickname the "Emerald Isle," a result of the mild, wet Atlantic climate that keeps pastures lush year-round. The terrain is characterised by a low-lying central plain ringed by coastal mountain ranges, including the Wicklow Mountains in the east, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks in the southwest — home to Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest peak — and the Connemara highlands in the west. The west coast is dramatically rugged, with sea cliffs such as the Cliffs of Moher rising over 200 metres above the Atlantic. Ireland's rivers include the Shannon, the longest river in Ireland and Britain, and the Liffey, which flows through Dublin. Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is the largest lake on the island. The climate is temperate oceanic, with mild winters, cool summers, and rainfall distributed throughout the year.

History

Ireland's history stretches back to prehistoric times, with megalithic monuments such as Newgrange predating the Egyptian pyramids. Celtic peoples arrived around 500 BCE, establishing a culture of tribal kingdoms, oral tradition, and Druidic religion. Christianity arrived in the fifth century, famously associated with Saint Patrick, and Ireland became a centre of monastic learning that helped preserve European culture during the early medieval period. Viking raids beginning in the eighth century led to the founding of coastal settlements including Dublin. Anglo-Norman lords invaded in the twelfth century, beginning centuries of English involvement. The Tudor and Stuart periods brought plantation policies, Protestant settlement, and religious conflict. The 1798 Rebellion and the Act of Union in 1800 united Ireland with Great Britain. The catastrophic Great Famine of 1845–1852 killed approximately one million people and caused mass emigration. The Easter Rising of 1916, followed by the War of Independence and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, led to the establishment of the Irish Free State, with full republican status achieved in 1949.