|
Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland. Covering a total area of 44.4 square miles, Belfast is also the largest city in the country. The other major cities of this nation include Armagh, Lisburn, Newry, and Derry.
Though Northern Ireland consists of six historic counties, they are no longer used for administrative functions. Instead the country is divided into twenty-six districts that are used for local administrative purposes.
Almost ninety-nine percent of the population of Northern Ireland is white. Asians accounted for the largest non-white ethnic groups. Christianity is the most dominant religion in the country;
Prior to the Government of Ireland Act in 1920, the country was an integral part of the United Kingdom. After the act came into force, the politics of the nation took place in the framework of a semiautonomous government. In 1972, however, after three years of sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics, Britain suspended the Ulster parliament. The Ulster counties were now governed directly from London.
In 1998, an agreement called the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 was signed which resulted in the formation of a new coalition government on December 2, 1999. The new system led the British government to formally transfer all authority to the Northern Irish parliament. David Trimble, Protestant leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), became first minister.
The current First Minister is Peter Robinson.
British pound sterling denoted by the ISO 4217 code GBP is the official currency of Northern Ireland. The smallest of the four economies making up the United Kingdom, the economy of Northern Ireland is basically an industrial one. Shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles are the major industries. Tourism also plays a significant role in the local economy.
