Northern Ireland is located on the northeastern coast of the island of Ireland, to the west of England and Scotland. It is bordered by the Northern Channel of the Irish Sea.
When Ireland became the Irish Free State in 1922, the six remaining counties on the island remained a part of the United Kingdom. The country is about the size of Connecticut. While the local capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast, the official capital is London. As part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland shares a constitutional monarchy headed by a hereditary monarch. Unlike the rest of Europe, the United Kingdom has not adopted the Euro(€) as its currency; the British Pound Sterling is still the currency of choice.
The 2004 estimate of the population was 1,710,300 with a small population growth rate. The current life expectancy is 78.54 years with women outliving men by five years.
English is the official language of Northern Ireland although the regional dialects of Scots-Gaelic and Irish-Gaelic are also spoken. Northern Ireland has a very high literacy rate of 99 percent. Historically, a large majority of the populace has been Protestant. Over recent years, however, the Catholic population has increased while the Protestant population has decreased. Currently, Northern Ireland is 56 percent Protestant and 44 percent Catholic. With the current rate of change it is estimated that the Catholic populace will gain the majority around the year 2025.
Web Sites
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Northern Ireland
Databases
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