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Ireland (53°30′N 7°38′W; Irish: Éire) is the third largest island in Europe. It lies in between the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. more...

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Politically it is divided into a sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland, that covers about five-sixths of the island (south, east, west and north-west), and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, covering the northeastern sixth of the island. The name 'Ireland' derives from the name Ériu (in modern Irish, Éire) with the addition of the Germanic word 'land'.

The population of the island is just under 6 million (2006); just over 4.2 million in the Republic of Ireland (1.6 million in Greater Dublin) and just over 1.7 million in Northern Ireland (0.6 million in Greater Belfast).

Politics

Politically, Ireland is divided into:

The Republic of Ireland, with its capital Dublin. Ireland and "Éire" are the official names of the state - in English and Irish respectively - while the "Republic of Ireland" is its official description. It is colloquially called "the South" or "the Republic" by many residents of Northern Ireland, the "Free State" by critics and sometimes "Southern Ireland" which for a short time was intended as the official name of the state.;

Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, is unofficially known as "The North" (by nationalists and residents in the Republic of Ireland), "the Six Counties," by nationalists, and "Ulster," by unionists (although the historic province of Ulster also includes the counties Donegal, Cavan, and Monaghan, which are in the Republic).;

Prior to the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and Partition Ireland had been a unified political entity within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which came into being in 1801 as a result of the Act of Union. From 1541, the Kingdom of Ireland was established by the King of England, though this realm did not cover the whole island till the early 17th century. Up to then, Ireland had been politically divided into a number of different Irish kingdoms (Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Mide, Ulster, and others). Before the advent of the Normans the different kingdoms were augmented by a High Kingship. The extent of power or influence of the High Kings throughout the entire country varied from reign to reign.

Further information: Irish States (1171-present)

In a number of respects the island operates officially as a single entity, for example, in most kinds of sports. The major religious bodies, the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, are organized on an all-island basis. 88% of the population of the Republic of Ireland (2002 census) and about 44% of Northern Ireland are Catholic. Some trade unions are also organised on an all-Irish basis and associated with the Irish Congress of Trades Unions (ICTU) in Dublin, while others in Northern Ireland are affiliated with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom — though such unions may organise in both parts of the island as well as in Britain. The island also has a shared culture in many other ways. Traditional Irish music, for example, though showing some variance in all geographical areas, is, broadly speaking, the same on both sides of the border. Irish and Scottish traditional music have many similarities.

Read more at Wikipedia.org