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[[Image:Ireland.gif|right|thumb|300px]]

[[Image:Ireland.gif|right|thumb|300px]]

'''Ireland''' is an [[island]] off the northwestern coast of [[Europe]]. It is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which consists of twenty-six counties and the traditional provinces of Munster, Leinster, Connacht, and three of the nine counties of Ulster, and the six counties of Northern Ireland, which comprise the remainder of the province of Ulster and are part of the [[United Kingdom]]. According to the last census the Republic of Ireland has a population of 4,234,925<ref>[http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/environment/copy_of_census/]</ref> Northern Ireland has a population of 1,685,267 (2002 est.)<ref>[http://www.nicensus2001.gov.uk/nica/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Demography&mainArea=&mainLevel=]</ref>

'''Ireland''' is an [[island]] off the north-western coast of [[Europe]]. Since 1922 it has been divided into two separate entities.

The primary language is English, however, the official language of the Republic is ''[[Gaelic|Gaeilge]]'', or ''Irish''. In the Irish language the official name of Ireland (which appears on all coins, stamps, and government documents) is ''Éire''.  The flag is a tricolor, the green representing the native Catholic tradition of Ireland, the orange representing the settled Protestant/Dissenter population, and the white, the peace between them.

* The '''Republic of Ireland''' (or '''Ireland''', in Irish: ''Éire'') is an independent state which consists of twenty-six counties in the traditional provinces of Munster, Leinster, Connacht, and three of the nine counties of Ulster. According to the last census the Republic of Ireland has a population of 4,234,925<ref>[http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/environment/copy_of_census/]</ref>

* The other is '''Northern Ireland''' a [[constituent country]] of the [[United Kingdom]] which comprises of six counties in the traditional province of Ulster. Northern Ireland has a population of 1,685,267 (2002 est.)<ref>[http://www.nicensus2001.gov.uk/nica/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Demography&mainArea=&mainLevel=]</ref>

== History ==

== History ==