Background Information on Northern Ireland Society - Geography

Geography

The following (draft) page provides some brief geographical details on Northern Ireland.

• The island of Ireland is situated in the Atlantic ocean, west of Britain, and to the extreme north-west of Europe. It lies between latitude 51.5 and 55.5 degrees North, and longitude 5.5 and 10.5 degrees West.
• Ireland shares the same time zone as London that is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
• Northern Ireland is situated in the north-eastern corner of Ireland, and is made up of six counties: Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.
  Outline map of Northern Ireland; counties
• Belfast, situated in county Antrim, is the capital city of Northern Ireland.
• There are five cities in the region: Armagh, Belfast, Derry, Lisburn, and Newry. (Lisburn and Newry were granted city status in 2002.)
• Northern Ireland has a population of 1,641,700. Belfast is by far the largest city, but there are also major population centres in Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon, Derry, Dungannon, Lisburn, Newry, and Omagh.
  Outline map of Northern Ireland; main cities, towns, and villages
• There is a significant imbalance in the industrial development between the east and west of the River Bann. The East of the Bann tends to be largely industrialised, whilst the West remains more agriculturally based.

Climate:

The climate of Ireland is influenced by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and on the whole, it tends to be quite temperate. Its relatively small size and the prevailing south-west winds also give a fairly uniform temperature over the whole country. Winters tend to be generally mild, and summers generally cool.

• Coldest months of the year: usually January and February. Average temperature: 4^oc-7^oc.
• Warmest months of the year: July and August. Average temperature: 14^oc-16^oc.
• Sunniest months of the year: May and June. Average sunshine per day: 5-7 hours.
• Average rainfall for Ireland as a whole is between 800 and 1200 mm (or 31" to 41") per year.

Landscape:

• The main rivers of Northern Ireland are the river Foyle and the Upper and Lower Bann. The river Foyle forms part of the northwestern boundary and flows into Lough Foyle at Derry. The Upper Bann rises in the Mourne Mountains and empties into Lough Neagh while the Lower Bann flows out of Lough Neagh to the North Channel. There are however many other rivers such as the Lagan, Erne, Blackwater, and Bush.
• There are three main mountainous areas of considerable height in Northern Ireland. These are the Sperrin Mountains in the northwest, the Antrim Plateau which is along the northeastern coast, and the Mourne Mountains in the southeast. The highest point in the country is Slieve Donard (2796 ft), a peak in the Mourne Mountains, near Newcastle in county Down.

Main landmarks include:

• The Giant's Causeway, which is a rock formation consisting of thousands of closely placed, polygonal pillars of black basalt. It is located on the North Antrim coast, and is one of Northern Ireland's main tourist attractions.
• Lough Neagh, which is approximately 150 square miles, and the largest lake (in terms of surface area) in Britain and Ireland. It is situated roughly in the middle of Northern Ireland.

Counties of Ireland - Population, Major Towns/Cities, Land Area, and Rank by Area, (1996 Estimated Figures)

Top 10 Land Owners in Northern Ireland (2002)

Counties of Ireland - Population, Major Towns/Cities, Land Area, and Rank by Area, (1996 Estimated Figures)

Source: Ireland Almanac and Yearbook of Facts, 2000

Top 10 Land Owners in Northern Ireland (2002)

Source: BBC Newsline; 8 April 2002