Ireland facts

Ireland is in Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain, it's geographic coordinates are 53 00 N, 8 00 W, the island is slightly larger than the state of West Virginia. The Emerald Isle is one of the largest islands in the world. It is located west of Great Britain. Heavy rain creates the lush, fertile, green land. Several lakes and rivers reside in Ireland; the longest river is the Shannon.

It's capital is Dublin. Dublin has a river that divides it in half, it is called the Liffe River.

It's weather is mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time.

It's population is about 4,062,235, of which 88.4% are Roman Catholic.

They primarily speak English but, Irish (Gaelic) can be heard spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard.

They're national holiday is Saint Patrick's Day on 17 March.

They have a female president named President Mary Mcaleese.

The Shamrock is the national flower of Ireland. The word shamrock comes from the Gaelic word seamrog, which means "trefoil" or "little clover". The shamrock has the ability to foretell the future: when it is about to rain the leaves turn upwards. The lucky four leafed clover is difficult to find because it is actually a genetic abnormality that causes the fourth leaf.

They're flag is three equal vertical bands of green, white, and orange.