Everything about The Geography Of Ireland totally explained
The
geography of Ireland describes an
island in northwest
Europe in the
North Atlantic Ocean. The main
geographical features of
Ireland include low central
plains surrounded by a ring of coastal
mountains. The highest peak is
Carrauntoohil (
Irish:
Corrán Tuathail), which is 1,041 m (3,414 ft) above sea level. The western coastline is rugged, with many islands,
peninsulas, and
headlands. The island is bisected by the
River Shannon, which at 259 km (161 s) with a 113 km (70 miles) estuary is the longest river in Ireland and flows south from
County Cavan in the north to meet the Atlantic just south of
Limerick. There are a number of sizable lakes along Ireland's rivers, with
Lough Neagh being the largest.
Politically the island consists of the state
Ireland and the UK
constituent country Northern Ireland. Located west of the island of
Great Britain, it's located at approximately . It has a total area of 84,412 km² (32,591
mile²). It is separated from Britain by the
Irish Sea and from mainland Europe by the
Celtic Sea.
Geological development
The oldest known Irish rock is about 1.7 billion years old and is found on
Inishtrahull Island off the coast of
County Donegal. In other parts of Donegal, scientists have discovered rocks that began life as
glacial deposits, demonstrating that at this early period, part of what was to become Ireland was in the grip of an
ice age. However, because of the effects of later upheavals, it's almost impossible to sequence these early rock layers correctly.
About 600 million years ago, at the end of the
Precambrian era, the Irish landmass was divided in two, with one half on the western side of the
Iapetus Ocean and the other at the eastern side, both at about the latitude that of around 80° South, close to what is now North West Africa. From the evidence of fossils found at
Bray Head in
County Wicklow, Ireland was below sea level at this time.
Over the next 50 million years, these two parts drifted towards each other, eventually uniting about 440 million years ago. Fossils discovered near
Clogher Head,
County Louth, show the coming together of shoreline fauna from both sides of the original dividing ocean. The mountains of northwest Ireland were formed during the collision, as was the
granite that's found in locations in Donegal and Wicklow. The Irish landmass was now above sea level and lying near the equator, and fossil traces of land-based life forms survive from this period. These include fossilised trees from Kiltorcan,
County Kilkenny, widespread bony fish and freshwater
mussel fossils and the footprints of a four-footed
amphibian preserved in
slate on Valentia Island,
County Kerry.
Old Red Sandstone also formed at this time.
Between 400 million and 300 million years ago, northwest Europe – including Ireland – sank beneath a warm,
calcium-rich sea. Great
coral reefs formed in these waters, eventually creating the
limestone that still makes up about 65 per cent of the rock
mantle of the island. As the waters receded,
tropical forests and
swamps flourished. The resulting vegetable debris eventually formed coal, most of which was later eroded. This period, known as the
Carboniferous era, ended with further plate movement which saw Ireland drift further northward. The resulting pressure created those Irish mountain and hill ranges that run in a northeast to southwest direction.
By 250 million years ago, Ireland was at the latitude of present-day Egypt and had a desert climate. It was at this time that most of the
coal and
sandstone were eroded. The thinner layers of limestone in the south of the country were also partially affected by this erosion. The limestone that was exposed by the disappearance of its sandstone mantle was affected by
carbon dioxide and other factors resulting in a
karstic landscape that can still be seen in
The Burren in
County Clare. Shortly after this period, organic debris in the seas around Ireland began to form the gas and oil deposits that now play an important role in the island's economy. Then, about 150 million years ago, Ireland was again submerged, this time in a chalky sea that resulted in the formation of
chalk over large parts of the surface. Traces of this survive under the
basalt lava that's found in parts of the north.
About 65 million years ago, the volcanic activity that formed this lava began. The
Mourne Mountains and other mountains in the northern part of the island formed as a result of this activity. Climatic conditions at this time were warm and vegetation thrived. Vegetable debris in the
Antrim depression formed deposits of brown coal or
lignite which remain untouched down to the present time. The warm conditions produced high rainfall that accelerated processes of erosion and the formation of karstic landscape forms.
By 25 million years ago, Ireland was close to assuming its present position. The long period of erosion had resulted in considerable soil formation and most of the rock mantle was covered. In areas with good drainage, the covering consisted of brown or grey soil, while in poorly drained areas the black
clay tended to dominate. As the climate cooled, soil formation slowed down, and a
flora and
fauna that would, millions of years later, be familiar to the first human inhabitants began to emerge. By about three million years ago, the present landscape of Ireland had more or less formed.
Since about 1.7 million years ago, the earth has been in the grip of a cycle of warm and cold stages and these have, inevitably, affected Ireland. The earliest evidence we've for this effect comes from the period known as the
Ballylinian Warm Stage, some half a million years ago. At this time, most of what are now considered to be native Irish trees were already established on the island. The action of the ice during the cold stages was the major factor in bringing the Irish landscape to its current form.
Obvious impacts of the ice on the landscape include the formation of glacial valleys such as
Glendalough in Wicklow and of
corries, or glacial lakes. The depositing of mounds of debris under the melting ice created
drumlins, a common feature of the landscape across the north midlands. Streams also formed under the ice and the material deposited by these formed
eskers (
Irish eiscir). The greatest of these, the
Esker Riada, divides the northern and southern halves of the island and its ridge once served as the main highway connecting the east and west coasts. About one half of the coastline consists of a low lying dune pasture land known as
Machair.
Rocks and soil types
The large central lowland is of
limestone covered with glacial deposits of clay and sand, with widespread bogs and lakes. The
Bog of Allen is one of the largest bogs. The coastal mountains vary greatly in geological structure. In the south, the mountains are composed of old red
sandstone with limestone river valleys. In
Galway,
Mayo, Donegal,
Down and Wicklow, the mountains are mainly
granite, while much of the north-east of the country is a
basalt plateau. An area of particular note is the
Giant's Causeway, in
County Antrim, a mainly basalt formation caused by volcanic activity between 50–60 million years ago. The basalts were originally part of the great
Thulean Plateau formed during the
Paleogene period.
The soils of the north and west tend to be poorly drained peats and
gleys, including peaty
podzols. In contrast, in the south and east the soils are free-draining brown earths and brown and grey-brown podzols. This is reflected in the rainfall distribution on the island, with the poorly-drained regions being those with the highest rainfalls.
An unusual environment is present in north County Clare, in an area known as
The Burren. This
karst-like landscape consists of limestone bedrock, with little or no soil in the inner-most areas. There are numerous sink-holes, where surface water disappears through the porous rock surface, and extensive cave systems have been formed in some areas. The
Pol an Ionain cave, near
Doolin, is the site of one of the world's longest known free-hanging stalactites.
Mountain ranges
).]]
Ireland consists of a mostly flat low-lying area in the midlands, ringed by mountain ranges such as (beginning in County Kerry and working counter-clockwise) the
Macgillycuddy's Reeks,
Comeragh Mountains,
Blackstair Mountains,
Wicklow Mountains,
the Mournes,
Glens of Antrim,
Sperrin Mountains,
Bluestack Mountains,
Derryveagh Mountains,
Ox Mountains,
Nephinbeg Mountains and the
Twelve Bens/
Maumturks group. Some mountain ranges are further inland in the south of Ireland, such as the
Galtee Mountains, the highest inland range,
Silvermines and
Slieve Bloom Mountains. The highest peak is
Carrauntoohil, 1,041 m (3,414 ft) high, is in the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, a range of
glacier-carved
sandstone mountains in
County Kerry, in the south-west of the island. The mountains are not high – only three peaks are over 1,000 m (3,281 ft) and another 457 exceed 500 m (1,640 ft).
Rivers and lakes
The main river in Ireland is the
River Shannon, 386 km (240 miles), the longest river in either
Ireland or
Great Britain, which separates the boggy midlands of Ireland from the West of Ireland. The river develops into three lakes along its course,
Lough Allen,
Lough Ree, and
Lough Derg. Of these, Lough Derg is the biggest. The River Shannon enters the
Atlantic Ocean after
Limerick city at the Shannon Estuary. Other major rivers include the
River Liffey,
River Lee,
River Blackwater,
River Nore,
River Suir,
River Barrow,
River Erne, and
River Boyne. (See the
list of rivers in Ireland.)
Lough Neagh, in
Ulster, Further round the coast is
Belfast Lough, between
County Antrim and
County Down. Also in County Down is
Strangford Lough, actually an inlet partially separating the
Ards peninsula from the mainland. Further down the coast,
Carlingford Lough is situated between Down and
County Louth. On the southern coast,
Waterford Harbour is situated at the mouth of the
River Suir (into which the other two of the
Three Sisters (
River Nore and
River Barrow) flow). The next major inlet is
Cork Harbour, at the mouth of the River Lee, in which
Great Island is situated.
Dunmanus Bay,
Bantry Bay,
Kenmare estuary and
Dingle Bay are all inlets between the peninsulas of
County Kerry. North of these is the
Shannon estuary. Between north County Clare and County Galway is
Galway Bay.
Clew Bay is located on the coast of
County Mayo, south of
Achill, while
Blacksod Bay is north of the island.
Killala Bay is on the north coast of Mayo.
Donegal Bay is a major inlet between
County Donegal and
County Sligo. while
Mizen Head is one of the
most southern points, hence the term "Malin head to Mizen head" (or the reverse) is used for anything applying to the island of Ireland as a whole.
Carnsore Point,
County Wexford is another
extreme point of Ireland, being the southeasternmost point of Ireland. Further along the coast is
Hook Head, also in County Wexford, while the
Old Head of Kinsale in
County Cork is one of many headlands along the south coast of Ireland.
Loop Head is the headland at which County Clare comes to a point on the west coast of Ireland, with the
Atlantic on the north, and further inland on the south, the
Shannon estuary.
Hags Head is another headland further up Clare's north/western coastline, with the
Cliffs of Moher along the coastline north of the point.
Erris Head,
County Mayo is the northwesternmost point of
Connacht.
Islands and peninsulas
Achill Island,
County Mayo in the northwest of Ireland is the largest island off Ireland's coast. The island is inhabited, and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Some of the next largest islands are the
Aran Islands, off the coast of
County Galway, host to an Irish-speaking community, or
Gaeltacht.
Valentia Island off the
Iveragh peninsula in
County Kerry is also one of Ireland's larger islands, and is relatively settled, as well as being connected by bridge at its southeastern end.
Omey Island, off the coast of
Connemara in County Galway is a
tidal island.
Some of the best-known peninsulas in Ireland are in County Kerry; the
Dingle peninsula, the aforementioned
Iveragh peninsula and the
Beara peninsula. The
Ards peninsula in
County Down is one of the larger peninsulas outside Kerry. The
Inishowen Peninsula in
County Donegal includes Ireland's most northerly point,
Malin Head and several important towns including
Buncrana on
Lough Swilly, Carndonagh and Moville on
Lough Foyle. Ireland's most northerly land feature is Inishtrahull island, off Malin Head, although
Rockall Island may deserve this honour but its status is disputed, being claimed by the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Denmark (for the Faroe Islands) and Iceland. Its most southerly is the
Fastnet Rock.
Political and human geography
Ireland is divided into four
provinces,
Connacht,
Leinster,
Munster and
Ulster, and 32
counties. Six of the nine Ulster counties form Northern Ireland and the other 26 form the Republic of Ireland. The map shows the county boundaries for all 32 counties.
From an administrative viewpoint, 20 of the counties in the Republic are units of local government. The other six have more than one local authority area, producing a total of 34 county-level authorities.
Tipperary has two parts,
North Tipperary and
South Tipperary. The cities of Dublin,
Cork,
Limerick,
Galway and
Waterford have city councils and are administered separately from the counties bearing those names. The remaining part of
County Dublin is split into
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown,
Fingal, and
South Dublin.
In Northern Ireland, a major re-organisation of local government in 1973 replaced the six traditional counties and two
county boroughs (
Belfast and
Derry) by 26 single-tier
districts, which, apart from Fermanagh cross the traditional county boundaries. The six counties and two county-boroughs remain in use for purposes such as
Lieutenancy. In November 2005, proposals were announced which would see the number of local authorities reduced to seven.
The island's total
population of approximately 6 million people is concentrated on the east coast, particularly in Dublin and Belfast and their surrounding areas.
Natural resources
Bogs
Ireland has 12,000 km² (4,633 miles²) of
bogland, consisting of two distinct types, blanket bogs and raised bogs. Blanket bogs are the more widespread of the two types. They are essentially a product of human activity aided by the moist Irish climate. Blanket bogs formed on sites where
Neolithic farmers cleared trees for farming. As the land so cleared fell into disuse, the soil began to leach and become more acidic, producing a suitable environment for the growth of
heather and
rushes. The debris from these plants accumulated and a layer of
peat formed.
Raised bogs are most common in the Shannon basin. They formed when depressions left behind after the ice age filled with water to form lakes. Debris from reeds in these lakes formed a layer of at the bottom of the water. This eventually choked the lakes and raised above the surface, forming raised bogs.
Since the 17th century, peat has been cut for fuel for domestic heating and cooking and it's called turf when so used. The process accelerated as commercial exploitation of bogs grew. In the 1940s, machines for cutting turf were introduced and larger-scale exploitation became possible. In the Republic, this became the responsibility of a semi-state company called
Bord na Móna. In addition to domestic uses, commercially extracted turf is used in a number of industries, especially electricity generation.
In recent years, the high level of bog being destroyed by cutting has raised environmental concerns. The problem is particularly acute for raised bogs as they yield a higher-grade fuel than blanket bogs. Plans are now in place in both the Republic and Northern Ireland to conserve most of the remaining raised bogs on the island.
Oil, natural gas and minerals
Offshore exploration for gas began in 1970. The first major discovery was the
Kinsale Head gas field in 1971. Next was the smaller Ballycotton gas field in 1989, Exploitation of the Corrib project has yet to get off the ground because the controversial proposal to refine the gas onshore, rather than at sea has been met with
widespread opposition. Gas from these fields is pumped ashore and used for both domestic and industrial purposes. The Helvick oil field, estimated to contain over of oil, is another recent discovery. Ireland is the largest European producer of
zinc with three operating zinc-lead mines at
Navan,
Galmoy and
Lisheen. Other mineral deposits with actual or potential commercial value include
gold,
silver,
gypsum,
talc,
calcite,
dolomite, roofing
slate,
limestone aggregate, building stone, and
sand and
gravel.
In May 2007 the
Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (now replaced by the
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources) reported that there may be volumes over of oil and of natural gas in Irish waters - worth trillions of
Euro, if true. The minimum 'guaranteed' amount of oil in the Irish Atlantic waters is, worth over €450 billion. There are also areas of oil and gas on shore, for example the
Lough Allen basin, with of gas and of oil, valued at €74.4 billion. Already some fields are being exploited, such as the
Spanish Point field, with of gas and of oil, valued at €19.6 billion. The
Corrib Basin is also quite large, worth anything up to €87 billion, while the Dunquin gas field contains of natural gas and of oil.
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