Ireland Facts: Interesting Facts About Ireland

Ireland is situated in North Western Europe. It shares it's borders with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom to the north. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and by the Irish sea to the east. To the east of Ireland is the North Channel. The Irish sea connects the ocean to the Celtic Sea and St. George Channel via the Southeast. Here are some facts about Ireland.

Ireland runs over eighty four thousand four hundred and twenty one square kilometers (84,421 sq km) or 32, 556 square meters. Almost eighty three percent of this land is owned by the Republic of Ireland, while the rest is comes under the northern Ireland area. Ireland enjoys a mild atmosphere due to the Northern Atlantic current. Therefore, Ireland doesn't have either very hot summers of very cold winters. The temperature during summer rises generally till thirty degrees celcius, while freezes occur only very rarely during winter.

The Republic of Ireland has twenty six counties. The counties with a more population have more than one constituencies. Some constituencies have more than one county. The boundaries of counties are majorly used in cultural and sport events.

Ireland is a republic with a parliamentary system of government. The President of Ireland serves as the head of state. The president is elected for a seven year term. The president can be re-elected only once. The President is supported and advised by the Council of State. The President appoints the Prime Minister of the Country. He or she is known as the 'Taoiseach'. The Prime Minister is most commonly the leader of the political party winning the largest number of seats in the national election.

The Parliament of Ireland consists of the Senate and a Lower House. The Parliament is known as the Oirechtas, while the Senate is known as the Seanad Eirann and the lower house is known as the Dail Eirann.

Ireland's economy has seen a sea of change in the recent years. While previously it was largely an agricultural economy, it is today more dependent on trade, investments and industry. The leading sector of Ireland is Industry, while accounting for forty six percent of the GDP, twenty nine percent of the labour force and eighty percent of exports, thus toppling agriculture as the country's leading sector.

Exports have played a major role in Ireland's growth. It benefits from the rise in construction, business investment and consumer spending. Ireland does not levy a tax on royalties of copyrighted goods and therefore has a thriving music industry.

The military is organized under the Irish Defense Force. It is small as compared to the other neighboring countries. There are about eight thousand five hundred full time military personnel, with a further thirteen thousand in reserve.

Ireland is a home to many places of interest regarding past history and cultures. One such example is King John's Castle on King's Island in Limerick. It is next to the River Shannon. The castle are the remains of a Viking settlement and were discovered with the some other construction was going on. The walls, fortifications and towers of the Castle are a visitor's attraction. The castle has also borne the brunt of the Siege of Limerick, the first of the five sieges of the city during the seventeenth century.

For the patrons of arts, the Tory Island beckons the most in Ireland. This is an island some twelve kilometers away from the County Donegal. It is approximately one kilometer wide and five kilometers long. The island is a home to a small community of artists and has its own art gallery. Famous artists like Derek Hill and Patsy Dan have been associated with this Island.