Ireland

Ireland is an island, which consists of Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is situated in the west of Great Britain, in the North Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Republic of Ireland is Dublin and the capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast. The whole Ireland has an area of about 84 thousand sq. km. The population of Ireland is predominately of Celtic origin. It is about 3,5 million inhabitants, but many of Irish people live abroad.
The first people settled in Ireland about 6000 B.C. During the Dark ages of Europe (500-800) Ireland became a great candle of education and scholarship. In 800 started the Viking’s era. They started their invasion by attacking the coastline places. Vikings began to develop trade, married into Irish families and, eventually, became Christians.  In 1846 came the Great Potatoes Famine. Hundreds of thousands died and were buried in common graves. During the years 1919 – 1921 there was a War of Independence, finally the Treaty was signed and 26 countries were constituted the Irish Free State and given the status of a dominion. In 1937 parliament accepted the own Constitution, which described Ireland as a „sovereign, independent, democratic state. In 1949 the country became a Republic.
Ireland has also been called the Emerald Island thanks to its verdure, beautiful romantic spots. It is involved by the moderate climate. There are mild winters, cool summers, about half the time overcast – it means lots of rain.
The whole landscape consists mainly of the lowlands or plateaus. There are almost no mountains but the range of mountains along the cost, which also isn´t very high. The highest peak is called Carrantuohill. The longest and also the most celebrated river is the Shannon. Some lakes we can find in the west of Ireland.
Irish people have very specific music made by violins, flutes or backpipes. They don´t use their hands while dancing. The national sports are hurling. It is a game similar to field hockey, and gaelic football, which can be considered as a mix of rugby, soccer and basketball. Horse racing is highly popular sport throughout the republic. Thank to its level landscape there are good conditions to play golf.
The government is based on the constitution of 1937. This document proclaims Ireland a sovereign, independent and democratic state. The head of state is the president – Marie McAleese from 1997, elected by direct popular vote for a 7-year term, maximum for 14 years. The government is responsible for the national legislature and is headed by the prime minister. Legislative brunch is vested in a Parliament consists of the Senate, which has 60 members, and the Houses of Representatives, which has 166 members. The most important party is republicans. The flag consists of three bands – green color presents old Gaelic and Anglo-Saxon origins, orange color presents William of Orange, white color presents peace and truth. Judicial branch is vested in a supreme court. Judges are appointed by the president, than high court, court of criminal appeal and the district courts.
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-independent economy with very big growth, one of the most quickly developing countries.  There are bred the animal husbandry like cattle, sheep, hogs and horses. Poultry production is also important. The field crops are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, beef and dairy products. The fishing industry is expanding. They are produce of energy, represented generally by the fossil fuel, but also hydro energy and other. Their major trading partners are Great Britain, Germany, the USA, France and Japan.