Facts about Northern Ireland

If you are planning to go on a vacation to Northern Ireland, then there are some fun facts that you might like to learn about before you ever even set off on your travels. Ireland's Historical Links To The United Kingdom For centuries, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. This ended in 1922 after years of civil war.

It was at this time that Britain negotiated with Ireland to keep the 6 counties in the northeastern part of Ireland and they are now known as Northern Ireland or Ulster. On the other hand, the southern part of the country is known as the Republic of Ireland or Eire.

The HMS Titanic "The Titanic" was Built In Belfast, Northern Ireland. If there had not been a few brief comments about this in the Hollywood movie, then many people would never have been aware of this fact.

Ireland's Total Land Area Northern Ireland only occupies 17% of the total island of Ireland.

Famous People Who Were From Ireland There are many famous people who come from Northern Ireland.
These people include George Best, who was a soccer player;
Kenneth Branagh, who was a film director and an actor;
Liam Neeson, who was an actor;
C.S. Lewis, who was an author;
Ruby Murray, who was a singer; and Ian Wilson, who was a composer.

Ireland's Country Divisions Northern Ireland is divided into 24 districts.
These districts include:
Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh and Strabane.

There are also 2 cities (Belfast, which is the capital of Northern Ireland, and Londonderry) and 6 counties.
The counties include: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fernanagh, County Londonderry and County Tyrone.

Ireland's VAT VAT is the Value Added Tax, which stands at 17.5% in Northern Ireland. This tax is also the same across the rest of the United Kingdom as well. However, if you think that this tax is high, then you should try traveling south to the Republic of Ireland.
There the tax is 21%.

The Belfast Agreement (Also Known As The "Good Friday Agreement")

On April 10, 1998 The Belfast Agreement was reached. This brought devolution to Northern Ireland. Under this agreement the country's voters chose to elect a new Northern Ireland Assembly to form a new parliament. Herein the Equality Commission and Human Rights Commission were also created. The History Of Northern Ireland There is a very fascinating history surrounding Northern Ireland.

If you visit Northern Ireland you will need to be sensitive to the political changes and upheavals that have shaped this province throughout the years. Conclusion As you can clearly see, there are a lot of great facts that go in to creating the country of Ireland. It is worthwhile knowing these facts before you take your Irish vacation. This is especially true if you plan on visiting any of the numerous museums or historical places within the country itself.