Ireland: population and cities
Population
According to Countryaah website, Ireland has around 4.5 million residents.
Ethnic composition
In Ireland live almost exclusively Irish.
Religious affiliation
approx. 87% Roman Catholic Catholics, 3% Anglicans, 0.8% Muslims.
National languages
The official language of Ireland is English. In addition, Irish, an ancient Celtic language, which is also called Gaelic, is spoken.
Capital, other cities
The capital of Ireland is Dublin with around 528,000 residents. Around 1.66 million people live in the greater Dublin area. According to Abbreviation Finder, IRL stands for Ireland in English. Click to see other meanings of this 3-letter acronym.
Other larger cities are:
- Cork with around 140,000 residents
- Limerick with around 60,000 residents
- Galway with around 40,000 residents
Ireland: geography, map
National borders
Ireland, also known as the Green Island, extends off the west coast of Great Britain. The shortest distance to England is 18 km, the longest 220 km. The country measures 465 km from north to south and 285 km from west to east. The “Republic of Ireland” and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, are located on the island. Check topmbadirectory for politics, flags, famous people, animals and plants of Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland shares a border with Northern Ireland of 360 km.
The coastline of the Republic of Ireland has a length of around 3,170 km.
Area, land use
The Republic of Ireland covers an area of 70,285 km².
Thereof:
- ForestAround 5% of the country is covered with forest.
- Arable land and fieldsAround 70% of the area of Ireland is used for agriculture. Mainly potatoes, sugar beets and barley are grown.
- SwampThe last intact moorland in Europe, the Boglands, is located in Ireland. More than 14% of the island is covered by bog areas.
- MountainsIreland is covered by so-called highlands. These include the Donegal Mountains, the Connemara Mountains, the Kerry and Cork Mountains, and the Wicklow Mountains.
Tidal range
In Dublin the mean tidal range is around 4 m.
For detailed explanations of ebb and flow, see Tides, Ebb and Flow.
Compare
The world’s highest tidal range can be found in the Bay of Fundy in Canada. It is up to 16 m there, and at spring tide even over 20 m. The Bay of Fundy is located on the Atlantic between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, which is called Nova Scotia in German and whose capital is Halifax. On the German North Sea coast, the tidal range varies between 1 m and 3 m. In the western Baltic Sea, however, it is only about 0.3 m, while it is barely noticeable in the eastern Baltic Sea.
Longitude and latitude
The Republic of Ireland covers the following latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and longitude (abbreviation Δλ):
Δφ = from 51 ° 20 ‘to 55 ° 20’ north latitude Δλ = from 6 ° 15 ‘to 10 ° 30’ west longitude |
You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and Latitude.
Legal time
UTC time applies in Ireland.
Δt (CET) = – 1 h |
Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones, time.
Highest point of the sun in Dublin
Dublin lies at a north latitude of approximately φ = 53.5 °.
When the sun or its image point is at the tropic, i.e. at δ = 23.5 °, summer begins in Dublin; this is June 21st. Accordingly, for the highest position of the sun at noon, according to Eq. 1 (see position of the sun):
53.5 ° = (90 ° – h) + 23.5 °
so:
H = 60 ° |
This is the highest level above the horizon (exactly: above the chimney) that the sun has within the year in Dublin.
mountains
Carrantuohill
The highest mountain is the Carrantuohill with a height of 1,041 m.
Other high mountains are:
- Cahir with a height of 973 m
- Brandon Mount with a height of 953 m
Rivers
Shannon
The longest river in the country is the Shannon with a length of 358 km.
Other rivers are:
- Blackwater
- Barrow
- Suir
Lakes
The largest lakes in Ireland are Lough Derg with 118 km², Lough Ree with 129 km², Lough Mask and Lough Corrib with 176 km².
Islands
It should be noted that Ireland is itself a (large) island.
Achill Island
There are numerous islands offshore. The largest island is Achill Island with an area of 146 km².
Other islands are:
- Aran Island
- Clare Island
- Inishbofin
- Tory Island
- Valentia Island
Atlantic, Irish Sea and Celtic Sea
The Republic of Ireland is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Irish Sea to the northeast, and the Celtic Sea to the southeast.