Ireland

The country of Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is the second largest of its kind in the British Isles and the third largest in Europe. Great Britain lies to the east and is separated from Ireland by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St. George’s Channel. Five-sixths of the island is made up of the Republic of Ireland (with Ireland being the official name). The remaining portion, Northern Ireland, is still part of the United Kingdom. The geography of the island is varied. It has low-lying mountains that encompass a central plain, lush vegetation, and many navigable rivers that extend inland, and roughly 11% woodland areas throughout the island where it was once covered in thick woods. The island avoids extremes in temperature due to its mild but changeable climate, with abundant rainfall—a reason why the landscape and rolling hillsides tend to be quite lush.