northern ireland

• part of the united kingdom, region belonging to great britain
northern ireland, also known as ulster, is part of the united kingdom. it was established in 1921 when ireland was divided, and consists of the six counties of antrim, armagh, down, fermanagh, londonderry, and tyrone. it is 14,153 square kilometres. northern ireland had a population of 1.6 million in 1991, of which approximately two-thirds were protestant and one-third were roman catholic. historically, most protestants were unionists, favouring the continuation of links with the united kingdom, while most catholics favoured a re-united ireland. since the 1960s conflict between catholics and protestants has been a source of civil disorder. the capital of northern ireland is belfast.