Thursday, June 14, 2007

Football








A football match at the AOL-Arena in Hamburg, Germany, May 2004.

The games involve:

  • a large spherical or prolate spheroid ball, which is itself called a football. a team scoring goals and/or points, by moving the ball to an opposing team's end of the field and either into a goal area, or over a line.
  • the goal and/or line being defended by the opposing team.
  • players being required to move the ball mostly by kicking and — in some codes — carrying and/or passing the ball by hand.
  • goals and/or points resulting from players putting the ball between two goalposts.
  • offside rules, in most codes, restricting the movement of players.
  • in some codes, points are mostly scored by players carrying the ball across the goal line.
  • in most codes players scoring a goal must put the ball either under or over a crossbar between the goalposts.
  • players in some codes receiving a free kick after they take a mark/make a fair catch.

Etymology

  • it is widely believed that the word "football" (or "foot ball") originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, there is a rival explanation, which has it that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot

  • These games were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports often played by aristocrats.
History

The First Football Clubs
- clubs which claim to be the world's first and/or oldest football club, in the sense of a club which is not part of a school or university, are strongholds of rugby football: the Barnes Club, said to have been founded in 1839, and Guy's Hospital Football Club, in 1843. Neither date nor the variety of football played is well-documented, but such claims nevertheless allude to the popularity of rugby before other modern codes emerged.
- In 1845, three boys at Rugby school were tasked with codifying the rules then being used at the school. These were the first set of written rules (or code) for any form of football.[19] This further assisted the spread of the Rugby game. For instance, Dublin University Football Club — founded at Trinity College, Dublin in 1854 and later famous as a bastion of the Rugby School game — is the world's oldest documented football club in any code.


The First Modern Balls

History of the Football Association

  • 1860s - there were increasing attempts in England to unify and reconcile the various public school games. In 1862, J. C. Thring, who had been one of the driving forces behind the original Cambridge Rules, was a master at Uppingham School and he issued his own rules of what he called "The Simplest Game" (these are also known as the Uppingham Rules). In early October 1863 another new revised version of the Cambridge Rules was drawn up by a seven member committee representing former pupils from Harrow, Shrewsbury, Eton, Rugby, Marlborough and Westminster.

  • The aim of the Association was to establish a single unifying code and regulate the playing of the game among its members.
Present Day Codes and "Families" of Football

Indoor/basketball court varieties of Football:
Five-a-side football – played throughout the world under various rules including:
Futsal – the FIFA-approved five-a-side indoor game.
Minivoetbal – the five-a-side indoor game played in East and West Flanders where it is hugely popular.
Papi fut — the five-a-side game played in outdoor basketball courts (built with goals) in Central America.
Indoor soccer – the six-a-side indoor game as played in North America. Known in Latin America, where it is often played in open air venues, as fútbol rápido ("fast soccer").
Paralympic football – modified Football for athletes with a disability. Includes:
Football 5-a-side - for visually impaired athletes
Football 7-a-side - for athletes with cerebral palsy
Electric wheelchair soccer
Beach soccer – football played on sand, also known as sand soccer.
Street football – encompasses a number of informal varieties of football.
Rush goalie – is a variation of football in which the role of the goalkeeper is more flexible than normal.
Headers and volleys – where the aim is to score goals against a goalkeeper using only headers and volleys.
Fouling football – all tackles except the use of weapons and (usually) kicks to the groin are allowed.
Crab football - players stand on their hands and feet and move around on their backs whilst playing soccer as normal
Swamp soccer - the game is played on a swamp or bog field

Football Positions


  • Goalkeeper
  • Defensive Positions

- Center-back

- Sweeper/Libero

- Full-back

- Wingback



  • Midfield Position

- Centre midfields

- Defenive midfielders

- Attacking midfielders

- Side midfielders

- Winger

  • Strikers/Forwards

- Centre forward

- Striker

- Deep-lying forwards

League Systems

Laws of the Game

  • Pitch of the Game

  • Players, equipment, officials

Football Players

1. Bobby Carlton

2. Tommy Gemmell

3. Phill Neal


4. Steve McManaman


5. David Beckham -

posted by phaedra @ 5:32 PM   0 Comments

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

WALES

posted by phaedra @ 8:30 AM   0 Comments

SCOTLAND

Scotland (English / Scots)
Alba (Gaelic)

Capital Edinburgh
55°51′N, 4°15′W
Largest city Glasgow

Official languages English, Gaelic and Scots

Government Constitutional monarchy
- Queen Queen Elizabeth II
- First Minister Alex Salmond MSP
Unification
- Lands north of Forth united under Bridei m. Beli c. 685
- Dál Riata incorporated by Óengus m. Fergusa c. 741
- Lothian and Strathclyde finally incorporated on accession of David I 1124 (confirmed Treaty of York, 1237)
- Galloway incorporated 1234/5
- Orkney and Shetland annexed 1472

Area
- Total 78,772 km²
30,414 sq mi
- Water (%) 1.9

Population
- 2005 estimate 5,116,900
- 2001 census 5,062,011
- Density 95 /km²
167.5 /sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate
- Total US$172 billion
- Per capita US$33,680

HDI (2003) 0.939 (high)

Currency Pound sterling (GBP)

Time zone GMT (UTC0)
- Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)

Internet TLD .uk2

Calling code +44

Patron saint St. Andrew
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Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a nation in northwest Europe and one of the four constituent countries[1] of the United Kingdom. It occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England. It is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. Apart from the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands.[2]

Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres.[3] Scotland's largest city is Glasgow, which is the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Greater Glasgow is home to approximately 40% of Scotland's population. Scottish waters consist of a large sector[4] of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union.

The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent state until 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union (despite widespread protest across Scotland)[5] resulted in a political union with the Kingdom of England to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.[6][7] Scotland's legal system continues to be separate from those of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; and Scotland still constitutes a discrete jurisdiction in public and in private international law.[8] The continued independence of Scots law, the Scottish education system, and the Church of Scotland have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and Scottish national identity since the Union.[9][10] However, Scotland is no longer a separate sovereign state and does not have independent membership of either the United Nations or the European Union.

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National symbols

The distinctive Royal Stewart,Tartan is the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II.

* The Flag of Scotland, the Saltire or St. Andrew's Cross, dates (at least in legend) from the 9th century, and is thus the oldest national flag still in use. The Saltire now also forms part of the design of the Union Flag.
* The Royal Standard of Scotland, a banner showing the Royal Arms of Scotland, is also frequently to be seen, particularly at sporting events involving a Scottish team. Often called the Lion Rampant (after its chief heraldic device), it is technically the property of the monarch and its use by anybody else is illegal, although this is almost universally ignored, and never enforced.
* The unicorn is also used as a heraldic symbol of Scotland. The Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland, used prior to 1603 by the Kings of Scotland, incorporated a lion rampant shield supported by two unicorns. On the Union of the Crowns, the Arms were quartered with those of England and Ireland, and one unicorn was replaced by a lion (the supporters of England).
* William Wallace, a national hero and a leader in the Scottish Wars of Independence.
* The thistle, the floral emblem of Scotland, features in many Scottish symbols and logos, and on UK currency. Heather is also considered to be a symbol of Scotland.
* Flower of Scotland is popularly held to be the National Anthem of Scotland, and is played at international events such as football or rugby matches involving the Scotland national team. However, since devolution, more serious discussion of a national anthem has led to this being disputed. Other candidates include Scots Wha Hae, Scotland the Brave and A Man's A Man for A' That.[87]
* Tartan is a specific woven textile pattern that often signifies a particular Scottish clan, as featured in a kilt.
* St Andrew's Day, the 30th of November, is the national day, although Burns' Night tends to be more widely observed. Tartan Day is a recent innovation from Canada. In 2006, the Scottish Parliament passed the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007, designating the day to be an official bank holiday.[88]

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Geography & natural history

Geography of Scotland

Scotland comprises the northern third of the island of Great Britain, which lies off the coast of north west Europe. The total land mass is 78,772 km² (30,414 mi²).[30] Scotland's only land border is with England, and runs for 96 kilometres (60 miles) between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The Atlantic Ocean borders the west coast and the North Sea is to the east. The island of Ireland lies only 30 kilometres (20 mi) from the south western peninsula of Kintyre, Norway is 400 kilometres (250 mi) to the north east, the Faroes 310 kilometres (193 mi) and Iceland 798 km (496 mi) to the north west. The geographical centre of Scotland lies a few miles from the village of Newtonmore in Badenoch, far to the north of the modern population heartlands.[31]

The territorial extent of Scotland is generally that established by the 1237 Treaty of York between Scotland and England[32] and the 1266 Treaty of Perth between Scotland and Norway.[7] Exceptions include: the Isle of Man, which is now a crown dependency outside the United Kingdom, the 15th century acquisitions of Orkney and Shetland from Norway;[30] and Rockall, a small rocky islet in the North Atlantic which was annexed by the UK in 1955 and later declared part of Scotland by the Island of Rockall Act 1972.[33][34] However, the legality of the claim is disputed by the Republic of Ireland, Denmark and Iceland and it is probably unenforceable in international law.[35][36]

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Geology & geomorphology

Geology of Scotland

The whole of Scotland was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice ages and the landscape is much affected by glaciation. From a geological perspective the country has three main sub-divisions. The Highlands and Islands lie to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which runs from Arran to Stonehaven. This part of Scotland largely comprises ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian which were uplifted during the later Caledonian Orogeny. These foundations are interspersed with many igneous intrusions of a more recent age, the remnants of which have formed mountain massifs such as the Cairngorms and Skye Cuillins. A significant exception to the above are the fossil-bearing beds of Old Red Sandstones found principally along the Moray Firth coast. The Highlands are generally mountainous and are bisected by the Great Glen. The highest elevations in the British Isles are found here, including Ben Nevis, the highest peak at 1,344 metres (4,409 ft). Scotland has over 790 islands, divided into four main groups: Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, sub-divided into the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides. There are numerous bodies of freshwater including Loch Lomond and Loch Ness. Some parts of the coastline consist of machair, a low lying dune pasture land.

The Central Lowlands is a rift valley mainly comprising Paleozoic formations. Many of these sediments have economic significance for it is here that the coal and iron bearing rocks that fuelled Scotland's industrial revolution are to be found. This area has also experienced intense volcanism, Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh being the remnant of a once much larger volcano active in the Carboniferous period some 300 million years ago. Also known as the Midland Valley, this area is relatively low-lying, although even here hills such as the Ochils and Campsie Fells are rarely far from view.

The Southern Uplands are a range of hills almost 200 km (125 miles) long, interspersed with broad valleys. They lie south of a second fault line running from Stranraer towards Dunbar. The geological foundations largely comprise Silurian deposits laid down some 4–500 million years ago.[6][37][38]




Aberdeen is Scotland's third largest city. Situated at the mouth of the Dee River, it is known for its granite quarries and fishing industry and sea port. Aberdeen is also known as the Oil Capital of Europe due to the abundant supply of crude oil which is found in the North Sea. | More...

Dundee has been established as some form of settlement since prehistoric times as pictish ruins can still be seen just outside of the modern city. It was here in 1309 that Robert the Bruce was declared King of the Scots and also the place where William Wallace was educated and committed the first act of murder that caused him to go into hiding. | More...

Edinburgh is named after King Edwin of ancient Northumbria and it has been recognized as Scotlands capital since the fifteenth century. A long established city with many years of progress, the city now boasts one of the finest architectural backdrops in the country. It is really the façade of this beautiful city which has caused it to become as popular as it is. | More...

Glasgow was properly established 6th century by Saint Mungo who was a Christian missionary. He built a church on the site where the present Glasgow Cathedral stands today, causing Glasgow to become a religious centre. Prior to this, the area had been inhabited by Picts and Celts and later, by Romans. Romans built outposts and then eventually, the Antonine Wall in an attempt to separate the Romans from the Picts. Remnants of this wall can still be seen today. | More...

Inverness is located in the North-East of Scotland at the mouth of the River Ness from which the city derives its' name. This city is quite old and has many attractions and - being the only city in the Highlands - it is a great starting point. | More...

Perth rests quietly on the banks of the River Tay in the Scottish Lowlands. It has two large public parks and most of the houses near the city centre are building in a Georgian terraced style. For tourists, there are lots of galleries, shops and a theatre, as well as the usually Scottish attractions such as scenery, castles and walks. There are many really great attractions in the region of Perth and Kinross and as such, Perth makes an ideal base for holiday makers. | More...

Stirling is a timeless city situated in central Scotland and is filled with grace and splendor. Though still relatively new (it was only declared a city in 2002), Stirling has long been established as a town and castle fortress. | More...
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Climate
Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles, is in Lochaber, the wettest district in the British Isles

Climate of Scotland

The climate of Scotland is temperate and oceanic, and tends to be very changeable. It is warmed by the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic, and as such has much milder winters (but cooler, wetter summers) than areas on similar latitudes, for example Oslo or Moscow. However, temperatures are generally lower than in the rest of the UK, with the coldest ever UK temperature of -27.2°C (-16.96°F) recorded at Braemar in the Grampian Mountains, on 11 February 1895 and 10 January 1982 and also at Altnaharra, Highland, on 30 December 1995.[39] Winter maximums average 6°C (42.8°F) in the lowlands, with summer maximums averaging 18°C (64.4°F).

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Transport in Scotland

A Loganair aircraft at Barra Airport, the only airport in the world where scheduled air services land on a beach runway

Scotland has five main international airports (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Prestwick and Inverness Airport) which together serve 150 international destinations with a wide variety of scheduled and chartered flights.[82] Highland and Islands Airports operate 10 regional airports serving the more remote locations of Scotland.[83] There is technically no national airline, however various airlines have their base in Scotland including Loganair (operates as a franchise of British Airways), bmi regional[84] Flyglobespan, City Star Airlines, and ScotAirways.

Scotland has a large and expanding rail network, which, following the Railways Act of 2005, is now managed independently from the rest of the UK by Transport Scotland.[85] The East Coast and West Coast Main Railway lines and the Cross Country Line connect the major cities and towns of Scotland with the English network. First ScotRail operate services within Scotland. The Scottish Executive has pursued a policy of building new railway lines, and reopening closed ones. Operators to English destinations include First ScotRail, GNER and Virgin Trains.

The Scottish motorways and major trunk roads are managed by Transport Scotland. The rest of the road network is managed by the Scottish local authorities in each of their areas. The country's busiest motorway is the M8 which runs from the outskirts of Edinburgh to central Glasgow, and on to Renfrewshire.[86]

Regular ferry services operate between the Scottish mainland and island communities. These services are mostly run by Caledonian MacBrayne, but some are operated by local councils. Other ferry routes, served by multiple companies, connect to Northern Ireland, Belgium, Norway, the Faroe Islands and also Iceland.

posted by phaedra @ 7:58 AM   0 Comments

Tuesday, June 12, 2007


HISTORY

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the island's total area). As of the UK census in April 2001, its population was 1,685,000, between a quarter and a third of the island's total population.


The all-island Kingdom of Ireland (1541—1800) merged into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 under the terms of the Act of Union, under which the kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain merged under a government and monarchy based in London.


In 1914, the Third Home Rule Act, which contained provision for a temporary partition, received the Royal Assent. Its implementation was suspended for the duration of the intervening First World War, which was expected to last only a few weeks, but, in fact, lasted four years.

Lloyd-George proposed in 1919 a new bill which would divide Ireland into two Home Rule areas, twenty-six counties being ruled from Dublin, six being ruled from Belfast.

In United Kingdom law, Ireland was partitioned in 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Six of the nine Ulster counties in the north-east formed Northern Ireland and the remaining three counties joined those of Leinster, Munster and Connacht to form Southern Ireland.

LANGUAGE

The Irish language (also known as Irish Gaelic) is a minority language in Northern Ireland (known in Irish as "Tuaisceart Éireann"). The dialect spoken there is known as Ulster Irish.

PATRON SAINT

Saint Patrick

DEMOGRAPHICS

Population

1,685,267
Place of birth

Northern Ireland: 1,534,268 (91.0%)
England: 61,609 (3.7%)
Scotland: 16,772 (1.0%)
Wales: 3,008 (0.2%)
Republic of Ireland: 39,051 (2.3%)
Elsewhere in the EU: 10,355 (0.6%)
Elsewhere: 20,204 (1.2%)
Ethnicity

White: 1,670,988 (99.15%)
Chinese: 4,145 (0.25%)
Mixed: 3,319 (0.20%)
Irish Traveller: 1,710 (0.10%)
Indian: 1,567 (0.09%)
Other Ethnic Group: 1,290 (0.08%)
Pakistani: 666 (0.04%)
Black African: 494 (0.03%)
Other Black: 387 (0.02%)
Black Caribbean: 255 (0.02%)
Bangladeshi: 252 (0.01%)
Other Asian: 194 (0.01%)

Religious Affiliations in Northern Ireland 1961–2001
Religions 1961 1991 2001
Roman Catholic 34.9% 38.4% 40.3%
Presbyterian (Protestant) 29.0% 21.4% 20.7%
Church of Ireland (Protestant) 24.2% 17.7% 15.3%
Other Religions (including other Protestant) 9.3% 11.5% 9.9%
Not Stated 2.0% 7.3% 9.0%
None 0.0% 3.8% 5.0%


POLITICAL REPRESENTATION

Northern Ireland currently has has the following political representation:
- 18 seats in the United Kingdom House of Commons (currently 10 unionist, 5 republican (abstentionist), 3 nationalist)
- a number of Unionists have been appointed by Tony Blair to the United Kingdom House of Lords including Eileen Paisley and David Trimble. Currently no republicans or nationalists have been appointed to this legislative body. On 7 Mar 2007 the House of Commons voted in favour of replacing the Lords with an elected chamber. This might have the effect of giving republicans/nationalists representation in the upper house at some time in the future. However, it was a non-binding vote. Following the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1871 that church no longer sends representatives to the House of Lords unlike the Church of England which continues to send 2 archbishops and 24 bishops who are known as Lords Spiritual. Bishops of the Roman Catholic church are not represented.
- the Northern Ireland Assembly has 108 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) (currently 55 unionists, 28 republicans, 16 nationalists, 9 others),
which had its powers restored on 8 May 2007.
- 3 seats in the European Parliament (currently two unionist, one republican)
- at local level there are currently 26 district councils - on 22 November 2005 Peter Hain, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced proposals to reduce the number of councils to seven [5].
Note: As the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy there is no election for Head of State.
Following the Act of Settlement 1701 the throne passed to the descendants of Electress Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of James I of England. Only the descendants of Sophia who were Anglican or Protestant, and had not married a Roman Catholic could succeed the throne. Roman Catholics and those married to Roman Catholics are barred from ascending the throne "for ever".

FAMOUS PEOPLE

Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, was born in Dublin in 1769. In 1809 he was sent to assume command in Portugal. Wellington gained military distinction in the Peninsular Campaigns during the French Wars, culminating in the victory at Waterloo. He was raised to the peerage as the Duke of Wellington in recognition of his achievements and he sat in the House of Lords for the rest of his life. It is said that he never admitted to his Irish birth.

Eric Dorman Smith (General Dorman O'Gowan), was born at Bellamont Forest, Cootehill,on the 24th of July 1895. In World War II Chink is best remembered for his role in the North African campaign, where he was appointed Major-General & Acting Chief of Staff, under General Sir Claude Aunchinleck.

Theobald Wolfe Tone Eighteenth-century Protestant lawyer was one of the few leaders of his time who was well-respected in Dublin and Belfast. In the autumn of 1791, he called for Irish independence and a rapprochement between Protestants and Catholics. Tone was involved in the creation of the Society of United Irishmen, which had chapters in Belfast and Dublin. In 1798, the Irish nationalists rose against British occupation in the belief that a French invasion was imminent. The rebellion was crushed by British forces. Tone was captured and sentenced to be hanged, but he chose suicide over submitting to British justice, and slit his own throat.

Michael Collins was born on 16th Oct 1890 at a place called Sam's Cross outside Clonakilty, Co Cork. he took part in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. In 1921 Collins was a signatory to a Treaty bring to an end the war between Britain & Ireland. This treaty was not to the liking of all Irishmen and a civil war broke out. Collins had said at the signing "I may have signed my actual death warrant".". He was killed in an ambush at Beal na mBlath in County Cork on the 22nd August 1922. Prior to the treaty Collins was responsible for organising resistance to British rule in Ireland. His tactics are said to be the basis for all Guerrilla warfare.

Eamonn De Valera was born in Manhattan, New York on the 14th October 1882, son of a Spanish immigrant father and an Irish immigrant mother. He was a commandant in the 1916 Rising and had his death sentence commuted because the British authorities were unsure of his nationality and wanted to avoid an international incident with the United States. Elected as a Sinn Fein MP for East Clare in July 1917. He was elected as President of Ireland on the 25th
June 1959 at the age of 76, and held office until the 24th June 1973 having been re-elected on 1st July 1966. He died on the 29th of August 1975 at the age
of 92.

Actors:
Kenneth Charles Branagh (b. December 10, 1960) is an Emmy Award-winning, Academy Award nominated Northern Irish-born British actor and film director.

Pierce Brendan Brosnan OBE[1] (born May 16, 1953) is an Irish actor and producer who now holds American citizenship and is best known for portraying James Bond in four films: GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002).

Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957), is an Academy-Award winning and Golden Globe-award nominated actor. Born in London, England, he became an Irish citizen in 1993.

Colin James Farrell (born May 31, 1976) is an Irish actor who has appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films including Daredevil, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth and S.W.A.T.

Evanna Lynch (born 16 August 1991) is an Irish actress from Termonfeckin, County Louth, Ireland. She lives with her father Donal, mother Marguerite, elder sisters Mairead and Emily, and younger brother Patrick.

William John 'Liam' Neeson OBE (born June 7, 1952) is an Oscar-nominated Irish actor.[1] He is known for his role as Oskar Schindler in the 1993 film Schindler's List, and has since appeared in several popular film series, including the Star Wars prequel trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia and Batman Begins. He has also continued to play real-life characters, including Michael Collins and Alfred Kinsey.

-----------------------

COUNTIES

Although all the counties in Northern Ireland are in Ulster, the two are not the same. Ulster also includes three counties in the Republic of Ireland: Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan which are not part of the United Kingdom.

County County town
County Antrim Antrim
County Armagh Armagh
County Down Downpatrick
County Fermanagh Enniskillen
County Londonderry Derry
County Tyrone











County Antrim
Located on the north east of Northern Ireland. It is one of two counties that does not border the Republic. Its county town is Antrim. It has an estimated population of 566,000 people, and a great attraction of the county is the Glens of Antrim. Half of the Greater Belfast area is in this county.









County Armagh
County Armagh is located on the south of Northern Ireland. It is the smallest of the six counties, and is known by some as the Orchard County because the land is so fertile for apple-growing.
Its county town is Armagh, and the county has an estimated population of 141,000. South Armagh was the most militarised region in Western Europe due to the history of the Troubles.


County Down
is located on the south east of Northern Ireland. The county town is Downpatrick, and the largest town is Bangor, although half of the Greater Belfast area is located in Down. County Down houses a mountain range, the Mourne Mountains, which are in talks about becoming Northern Ireland's first National Park. They are regarded as one of the greatest place for w2alkers in the land of Ireland. County Down has an estimated population of 454,000 people.







County Fermanagh
is located on the south west of Northern Ireland. It is one of the three counties that border the
Republic. Its county town is Enniskillen. The county has an estimated population of 55,000 people, and a large tourist attraction is the Marble Arch Caves.









County Londonderry
is located on the north west of Northern Ireland. It is also known by many as County Derry.
The county has Northern Ireland's second largest city, also called Londonderry or the City of Derry. The estimated population is 213,000 people.
County Tyrone
is located on the west of Northern Ireland. During The Troubles it saw the worst attack on its county town, Omagh. It is the largest county in Northern Ireland with an estimated population of 166,516 people.






Government

Districts of Northern Ireland
1.Antrim
2. Ards
3. Armagh
4. Ballymena
5. Ballymoney
6. Banbridge
7. Belfast
7. Carrickfergus
8. Castlereagh
9. Coleraine
10. Cookstown
11. Craigavon
12. Derry
13. Down
14. Dungannon and South Tyrone
15. Fermanagh
16. Larne
17. Limavady
18. Lisburn
19.Magherafelt
20. Moyle
21. Newry and Mourne
22. Newtownabbey
23. North Down
24. Omagh
26. Strabane




Unlike the Republic of Ireland, the counties are no longer used for local government purposes.
A major re-organisation of local government in 1973 replaced the six administrative counties and two county boroughs (Belfast and Derry) by twenty-six "single-tier" districts for local government purposes, and these cross the traditional county boundaries. The six administrative counties and two county-boroughs remain in use for some purposes, including Lords Lieutenant and number plates.
The counties formed the former postal counties for Northern Ireland.
As of 2006, major local government reform is expected to reduce the number of districts from
twenty-six to less than ten.

posted by phaedra @ 6:40 PM   0 Comments