The Amazing Northern Ireland

Explore this fairytale land! In this article you can find out more.

Northern Ireland is bounded on the north and northeast by the North Channel, on the southeast by the Irish Sea and on the south and west by Ireland. The border with Ireland is 360 km long. The region's coastline consists of wide, sandy beaches, broken by steep cliffs in the north, northeast and southeast. Near the northern most point of Northern Ireland is Giant's Causeway, an unusual formation of basalt columns created by the cooling of an ancient lava flow. Rathlin Island and several smaller islands lie off the northern coast.

The different regions of Northern Ireland are frequently referred to by the names of the province's six traditional Irish counties, even though they are no longer the units of local government. These are clockwise from the northeast Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry (Derry).

The region's topography is often described as saucer shaped… A low lying central area is surrounded by the Antrim Mountains and Glens of Antrim to the north and northeast, the Mourne Mountains to the southeast, the uplands of south Armagh to the south, and the Sperrin Mountains to the northwest. A number of broad river valleys run from the central region to the sea. The highest mountain is Slieve Donard (852 m/2,795 ft), located at the eastern end of the Mourne Mountains in County Down.

Rivers and Lakes

Lough Neagh, in the center of Northern Ireland, is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, with an area of 396 sq km (153 sq mi). All the region's counties border it except Fermanagh. Upper and Lower Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh, are the only other major freshwater lakes. Belfast Lough, Carlingford Lough, Strangford Lough, and Lough Foyle are the largest sea inlets. The major river of Northern Ireland is the Bann, which rises in the Mourne Mountains and flows northward through Lough Neagh to become a wide and navigable waterway to the sea. The Foyle flows north to the sea at the port city of Londonderry (Derry), forming the border with Ireland for part of its length. The Lagan flows northeast to the sea at Belfast.

Wild plant and animal life is similar to that found in the northern and western parts of Britain. Sedges, rushes, ferns and grasses are the principal plants and rhododendrons flourish in many areas. Winters are mild and there are no regular sharp frosts, so it is also possible to grow decorative shrubs such as fuchsia and exotic imports such as those of the genus Escallonia. Wild mammals are limited to small rodents of the woods and fields, such as rabbits and stoats. There are many species of small birds. Salmon and trout thrive in Northern Ireland's rivers and lakes and the province is also known for a distinctive type of whitefish called the pollan, found in Lough Neagh and Upper and Lower Lough Erne.

Ireland is not rich in minerals. Small-scale coal mining has been pursued sporadically at Coalisland, in central Northern Ireland, and at Ballycastle in the north. Farmers and other rural people harvest peat for fuel, but very few deposits are broad or deep enough to justify commercial exploitation. Limestone and gravel are extensively quarried. Some 6 percent of Northern Ireland's land area is forested, much of it planted in recent times.

Climate

Northern Ireland's climate is temperate, with warm winters and cool summers. In January the average daily temperature is around 4°C (39°F), and in July it is about 15°C (59°F). Annual precipitation is about 1,100 mm (42 in), spread fairly evenly throughout the year. Spring is normally the driest season. Overcast skies are the norm: Average daily hours of clear skies range from less than two from November to January to around six in May and June. Northern Ireland tends to be breezy and gales are common in spring and fall.

Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland.

Almost half of the province's population lives in the greater Belfast area. Founded on the sandy mouth of the Lagan River in 1613 by settlers from Britain, Belfast took its name from Beal Feirsde (Irish for "the mouth of the sandbank"). Belfast remained a small trading port until about 1800. It subsequently became a major industrial city, growing from about 20,000 people at the beginning of the 1800s to a peak of 443,671 in 1951. Northern Ireland's second largest city, Londonderry (Derry), is much smaller. Derry (Irish Doire, for "place of the oaks"), a small community centered on a 6th-century abbey, was rebuilt by British settlers in 1613. Soon thereafter the town granted charters to several London merchant companies to develop the area, and the official name of the city became Londonderry. This name was never fully accepted or used by Catholics, who in general still refer to the city as Derry. The city is therefore often referred to in print as Londonderry/Derry or Derry/Londonderry. The only other urban center designated as a city is Armagh, which is actually a small town. Armagh owes its prominence to its historic role as the center of Christianity in Ireland and the home of both the Catholic and Anglican primates of all Ireland. Major towns include the market centers of Coleraine (headquarters of the University of Ulster), Dungannon, Enniskillen, Omagh and Strabane; the ports of Larne and Newry; and the historic linen manufacturing towns of Ballymena, Lurgan and Portadown.

Picture: Mourne Mountains seen from beach in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland