Northern Ireland - Useful information for your trip

Northern Ireland is one of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom in Northern Europe, together with Wales, England and Scotland. Its capital city is Belfast and it is lapped by the Irish Sea to the east. Its land was covered by an ice cap during the last ice age, therefore it features several drumlins in some counties. Lough Neagh, with its area of 391 sqkm, is the largest lake on the entire Irish island and on the British islands. 

Northern Ireland features a series of plateaus in the Sperrin mountains, with deposits of gold and granite on Mourne Mountains, and basalt in the counties of Armagh and Fermanagh-Tyrone. The highest peak is Cavehill, while the volcanic activity shaped Antrim plateau and the rock pillars now known as Giant's Causeway on the northern coast of Antrim.

The rivers Bann, Foyle and Blackwater form fertile plains, perfect for cultivation, while the valley of Lagan river is dominated by Belfast metropolitan area. The climate is oceanic temperate, very humid and cloudy, with umpredictabile weather and seasons which are less distinct than in the rest of Europe.

Due to massive deforestaion and abundant rainfalls, Northern Ireland is covered in green expanses. 

The economy of the nation is poorer than those of Wales, England and Scotland. Northern Ireland used to rely on an industrial economy, mainly on shipbuilding and manufacturing of fabrics and rigging. Nowadays, heavy industry has been mostly replaced by the service sector and tourism is growing.

During your stay in Northern Ireland, you should not miss a visit to Belfast, the hectic capital city, full of evidence of the troubled history of this land (Ulster Museum is definitely woth it); the rope bridge in Carrick a Rede, picturesque Giant's Causeway or charming Mussenden Temple with its marvellous beach.