- published: 25 Mar 2015
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The counties of Ireland (Irish: contaetha na hÉireann; Ulster-Scots: coonties o Airlann) are sub-national divisions that have been, and that in some cases continue to be, used to geographically demarcate areas of local government.
The now obsolete concept of county corporate designated a small number of towns or cities which were deemed to be no less important than the existing counties in which they lay, thus acquiring county status in their own right. The older term "shire" was historically equivalent to "county". By the early 17th century, all of the Kingdom of Ireland had been shired. These land divisions were formed following the Norman invasion of Ireland in imitation of the units of local government then in use in the Kingdom of England.
The principal function of the county was to impose royal control in the areas of taxation, security and the administration of justice at the local level. These powers were exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons initially, then by the Old English nobility. With the waning of the power of the barons, new offices of political control came to be established at a county level.
Coordinates: 53°20′N 08°00′W / 53.333°N 8°W / 53.333; -8
Ireland (pronounced [ˈaɪrlənd] ( listen); Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] (
listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann or Airlan) is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth. To its east is the larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea.
Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
Relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain epitomise Ireland's geography with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 17th century. Today, it is one of the most deforested areas in Europe. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.
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