Introduction
Northern Ireland is a part of the U. Kingdom in the north-East of the
island of Ireland.
Geography:
Northern Ireland shares bored with Republic of Ireland to the South and
West.
The centerpiece of Northern Ireland’s
geography is Lough Neagh, (391 km2) the largest freshwater lake both on the island of Ireland and in
the British Isles. A second extensive lake system in centered on Lower and
Upper Lough Erne Fermanagh. None of the hills is especially high, with Slieve
Donard in the dramatic Mourns reaching 849 meters (2,785ft), Northern Ireland’s
highest point.
The whole of Northern Ireland
has temperate climate, rather wetter in the West than the East. Cloud cover is persistent
across the region.
Politics:
Since 1998, Northern Ireland has developed government within the U.
Kingdom. The UK Government and UK Parliament are responsible for reserved and
excepted matters. On all other matters, the Northern Ireland Executive together with the 108-member Northern Ireland Assembly may legislate and govern for Northern Ireland
History:
Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter
inter-communal conflict-the Troubles- which was caused by divisions between Nationalists,
who see themselves as Irish and are predominantly Roman Catholic, and Unionists,
who see themselves as British and are predominantly Protestant. (Additionally,
people from both sides of the community may describe themselves as Northern
Irish.) Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain as a part of the U. Kingdom,
while nationalists want reunification with the rest of Ireland, independent of
British rule.
The region that is now Northern Ireland was the bedrock of the Irish war
of resistance against English programmes of colonialism in the late 16th
century. The English-controlled Kingdom of Ireland had been declared by the
English king Henry VIII in 1542, but Irish resistance made Engilsh control
fragmentary. Following Irish defeat at the Battle of Kinsale, though, the
region´s Gaelic, Roman Catholic aristocracy fled to continental Eurpe in 1607
and the region became subject to major programmes of colonialism by Protestant
English (mainly Anglican) and Scottish(mainly Presbyterian) settlers. There was
a rebellion in 1641 by Irish aristocrats against English rule.
The Troubles:
The Troubles, starting in the late 1960s, consisted of about thirty
years of recurring acts of intense violence between elements of Northern
Ireland´s nationalist community (principally Roman Catholic) and unionist
community(principally Protestant), during which 3,254 people were killed. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) and pro-British
paramilitary forces participated in these attacks.
Peace process
The Troubles were brought to an end by a peace process which included the declaration of ceasefires by most paramilitary
organisations and the complete decommissioning of their weapons, the reform of
the police, and the corresponding withdrawal of army troops from the streets
and from sensitive border areas; from 1998 and on.
Population:
The population in 2010 was
estimated to be just under 1.8 million. It is almost entirely white (99.15%). The largest non-white ethnic groups are Asians with 0.4% (of which Chinese accounted for 60.7%, Indian for 23% and Pakistani for 9.8% of the total). Black
people of various origins accounted for 0.06% of the
population and people of mixed ethnicity accounted for 0.2%.
Language
English is spoken as a first
language by almost all of the Northern Ireland population. Two all-island
bodies for the promotion of local languages were created: the Ulster Scots Agency, which promotes the Ulster Scots dialect and culture, and Foras na Gaeilge, which promotes the Irish language.
Culture
Nothern Ireland’s reputation
improved after the Peace Process, so high numbers of tourists visit it every
year. Attractions include cultural festivals, musical and artistic traditions,
countryside and geographical sites of interest, public
houses, welcoming hospitality and sports (especially
golf and fishing).
Sports
Popular sports include
football, rugby, cricket, golf, Gaelic games (Gaelic
football, hurling, handball and rounders) and snooker. Football is the most popular
in Northern Ireland. The video shows a game of rounders.
