IRELAND

Physical geography

Ireland is about 70000 km². It is an island next to Great Britain, in the north-west of Europe. The climate is oceanic. There no high mountains; the country is rather flat. It rains quite often so the vegetation is very green. There are large forests and large green meadows.

An iconic place

The Boyne Valley is one of the most famous places in Ireland. There are Celtics standing stones which are older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. There are still lots of legends in Ireland.

An iconic object

The leprechauns wear green clothes and a green hat. They have ginger beards. They are known for their practical jokes and nobody has ever managed to catch one...

Something the country has done for the world

Famous historical figure

The most famous figure of Ireland is St Patrick. He is the patron saint; he is celebrated every 15^th of March.

Important living person

The famous actor Liam Nelson is Irish. He was born in the north of Ireland.

History before 2000

The first people in Ireland were the Celts; they arrived before the birth of Christ. Then, the Vikings invaded Ireland in the 9^th century. Irish people went to North America to escape starvation in the 19^th century. Ireland was a British territory until 1921. Irish people rejected the British presence, especially as they don’t have the same religion. It then became a parliamentary republic. Ireland joined the EU in 1973.

History after 2000

The president was Mary McAleese until 2011, and Michael D. Higgins is president today. The crisis of 2007-10 affected Ireland badly.

Human geography

There are 4,700,000 inhabitants. The density is 65 people per km².

Language(s) and culture(s)

There are two official languages in Ireland: Irish and English, even if most Irish speak English most of the time. Most Irish people are Catholic. The culture is a Gaelic one.

Politics, economy, place in the EU

The capital of Ireland is Dublin. Ireland uses the Euro. Ireland has the second highest GDP per capita of the EU but the number of unemployed people is 15%. Because of the crisis of 2007-10, the number of unemployed people rose and the GDP decreased.

Youth

The National Youth Council of Ireland is very active. It helps young Irish to find a job and have their say in the government. The favorite sport of young Irish is Gaelic football.

Article by Quentin CLAIRET