Ireland
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ireland is a Celtic island of Europe off the west coast of the European mainland. To the west of Ireland is the Atlantic Ocean; to the east of Ireland, across the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain. The island is divided into 32 counties.
The island of Ireland is split into two main parts:
- Republic of Ireland, also called Ireland, is made up of 26 counties. Its capital city is Dublin. The official languages are called Irish and English. Most people in Ireland do not speak Irish, but speak English instead.
- Northern Ireland is made up of 6 counties and is part of the United Kingdom. The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.
The island of Ireland, called Éire in the Irish language, is about 280 miles (450 km) long and about 160 miles (260 km) wide.Six million people live in Ireland. The River Shannon, which runs from north to south, is the longest river. Ireland has many lakes (or Loughs). Lough Neagh, in Northern Ireland, is the largest lough in Europe.
