"Northern Ireland the U.K. from the other side" Northern Ireland by Tobias_Plieninger

Northern Ireland is a country with a very special atmosphere.

Nearly verywhre you go you can see the traces of the political conflict.

Especially Belfast is marked by such impression.

Beside the cities there many nice landscapes and rural destinations.

If you go to Ireland Belfast is wearth a trip.

Flag of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Formal Name: Province of Northern Ireland

Local Name: Ulster

Local Formal Name: Province of Northern Ireland

Commonwealth
Location: Europe
Status: UK Constituent Country
Capital City: Belfast (Beal Feirste)
Main Cities: Derry-Londonderry, Omagh
Population: 1,557,800
Currency: 1 pound sterling = 100 pence
Languages: English, Irish Gaelic
Religions: Protestant, Roman Catholic

Map of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland was covered by an ice sheet for most of the last ice age and on numerous previous occasions, the legacy of which can be seen in the extensive coverage of drumlins in Counties Fermanagh, Armagh, Antrim and particularly Down. The centrepiece of Northern Ireland's geography is Lough Neagh, at 151 mi² (392 km²) the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles. A second extensive lake system is centred on Lower and Upper Lough Erne in Fermanagh.

There are substantial uplands in the Sperrin Mountains (an extension of the Caledonian fold mountains) with extensive gold deposits, granite Mourne Mountains and basalt Antrim Plateau, as well as smaller ranges in South Armagh and along the Fermanagh–Tyrone border. None of the hills are especially high, with Slieve Donard in the dramatic Mournes reaching 2782 feet (848 m), Northern Ireland's highest point. The volcanic activity which created the Antrim Plateau also formed the eerily geometric pillars of the Giant's Causeway.

The Lower and Upper River Bann, River Foyle and River Blackwater form extensive fertile lowlands, with excellent arable land also found in North and East Down, although much of the hill country is marginal and suitable largely for animal husbandry.

The valley of the River Lagan is dominated by Belfast, whose metropolitan area includes over a third of the population of Northern Ireland, with heavy urbanisation and industrialisation along the Lagan Valley and both shores of Belfast Lough.

The whole of Northern Ireland has a temperate maritime climate, rather wetter in the west than the east, although cloud cover is persistent across the region. The weather is unpredictable at all times of the year, and although the seasons are distinct, they are considerably less pronounced than in interior Europe or the eastern seaboard of North America. Average daytime maximums in Belfast are 6.5C (43.7F) in January and 17.5C (63.5F) in July. The damp climate and extensive deforestation in the 16th and 17th centuries resulted in much of the region being covered in rich green grassland.

• Pros:Belfast is a very interesting city
• Cons:Political situation
• In a nutshell:Get impressions about sensless religious conflict!