Northern Ireland Overview
Northern Ireland – Britain’s part of the Emerald Isle
Northern Ireland, which is roughly the size of Schleswig-Holstein with an area of around 14,000 km², has belonged to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland together with Wales, England and Scotland since the suspension of autonomy in October 2002.
Compared to the Republic of Ireland with its The capital city of Dublin is more densely populated and has significantly more industry. The delightful landscape of the seven Northern Irish counties ranges from the rugged, rugged north and northeast coast to the Sperrin Mountains in the west, the Fermanagh Lake District and the moorland of the Antrim Hills to the Morne Mountains in the southeast of the country.
Particularly worth seeing are the numerous Stone Age graves, early Christian high crosses and monastery ruins as well as the castles and fortresses from Norman times, as is the case on the entire Irish island.
Unfortunately, Northern Ireland kept coming into the limelight with ugly reports of violent clashes between Catholics and Protestants. And for many years Belfast was synonymous with murder, terror, hatred and destruction.
This “civil war, which was waged on the part of the Catholics by the IRA, resulted in many deaths and injuries as well as considerable material damage, not to mention the psychological injuries on both sides.
On July 28, 2005, the IRA publicly renounced armed struggle, a declaration that has been kept to this day. Northern Ireland is divided into six counties – Derry (Londenderry), Antrim, Down, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh. It is worth mentioning that Northern Ireland has its own national football team, as do England, Shadows and Wales.
| Name of the country | Northern Ireland/Tuaisceart Éireann |
| Form of government | Parliamentary monarchy part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. |
| Head of state | Queen Elizabeth II (since February 6, 1952) |
| Geographical location | Northwest Europe |
| National anthem | “A Londonderry Air” |
| Population | about 1.8 million |
| Ethnicities | Irish |
| Religions | approx. 45.6% Protestants, 40.3% Catholics, 13.9% have no religious affiliation |
| Languages | English, Irish Gaelic and Ulster Scottish |
| Capital | Belfast |
| Surface | 13,843 km² |
| Highest mountain | Slieve Donard with a height of 852 m |
| Longest river | Upper and Lower Bann with a length of 93 km |
| Largest lake | Lough Neagh with an area of 147.39 km² |
| International license plate | GB |
| National currency | English pound (£) |
| Time difference to CET | – 1 h |
| International phone code | 0044 |
| Mains voltage, frequency | 230 volts, 50 hertz |
| Internet Top Level Domain (TLD) | .uk |
Population and cities
Population
According to Countryaah, Northern Ireland has around 1.8 million people. Ethnic composition Northern Ireland is home to Gaelic Irish and the descendants of English and Scottish immigrants who came to the country between the 12th and 17th centuries.
Religion
The country’s population is approximately 45.6% Protestant and approximately 40.3% Catholic.
The largest Protestant community is the Presbyterian Church, to which about 20.7% of Northern Irish belong.
The Anglican Church, to which about 15.3% of the population belong, belongs to the community of the Church of Ireland, whose archbishop resides in Armagh. The Pan-Irish Catholic Primate is also based in Armagh.
National Languages
English, Irish Gaelic and Ulster Scottish are spoken in Northern Ireland.
Capital and other cities
The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast with around 270,000 residents.
Other cities are:
- Lisburn with around 110,000 residents
- Derry (Londonderry) with around 100,000 residents
- Craigavon with around 60,000 residents
- Bangor with around 50,000 residents
Northern Ireland: Political System
Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and has been ruled directly from London again since October 2002.
The state of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a parliamentary monarchy in the Commonwealth.
The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Commons with 646 members (17 of them are from Northern Ireland) who are elected at least every five years, and the House of Lords with 715 members: these are 26 bishops and 597 lords Lifetime including the Law Lords (members of the Supreme Court of Appeal) and 92 inheritance lords (as of May 2006).
The official name of the country is:
| Northern Ireland Tuaisceart Éireann |
National anthem
The national anthem of a country is a piece of music with a text, which is intended to express the state, life and national feeling of a country. It is played on particularly festive occasions, e.g. at state visits, on special holidays or to honor politicians, business leaders, etc. The national anthem of the respective winning country is also used at the award ceremony on the occasion of international sporting events such as the Olympic Games, the Tour de France or World and European Championships Performance.
In most European countries, the national anthems and flags were introduced in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, after they achieved independence.
“A Londonderry Air”has been the national anthem of Northern Ireland since 1972. The text was written by Katherine Tynan Hinkson. The melody comes from a traditional folk song.
| In English it reads: |
| Would God I were the tender apple blossom That floats and falls from off the twisted bough To lie and faint within your silken bosom Within your silken bosom as that does now. Or would I were a little burnish’d apple For you to pluck me, gliding by so cold while sun and shade you robe of lawn will dapple Your robe of lawn, and you hair’s spun gold.Yea, would to God I were among the roses That lean to kiss you as you float between While on the lowest branch a bud uncloses A bud uncloses, to touch you, queen. Nay, since you will not love, would I were growing A happy daisy, in the garden path That so your silver foot might press me going Might press me going even unto death. |
National flag
The national flag (national flag) symbolizes, among other things, certain historical developments or special characteristics of your country. It is used to identify the origin, e.g. of a ship. Flags, field symbols, flags or coats of arms have always had a high symbolic value. Soldiers are called to the flag, an ensign wore a flag or a standard earlier in battle to orient the soldiers of the unit. Today every country has its own national flag, which is often supplemented by numerous other flags inside.
