Northern Ireland is one of the four constituent parts of the
United Kingdom. It comprises one fifth of the island of
Ireland, and consists of six former
counties of Ireland. Those six counties, along with three other counties (now part of the
Republic of Ireland), form the traditional
Province of Ulster. According to certain sources the six pointed star of the former
Government of Northern Ireland flag is there to represent the six counties that make up Northern Ireland.
Although all the counties in Northern Ireland are in Ulster, the two are not the same. Ulster also includes three counties in the Republic of Ireland Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan, which are not part of the United Kingdom.
County Antrim is located in the northeast of Northern Ireland. It is the only of the six counties that does not border the Republic. Its county town is Antrim. It has an estimated population of 566,000 people, and a great attraction of the county is the Glens of Antrim. Half of the Greater Belfast area is in this county.
County Armagh is located directly south of Lough Neagh. It is the smallest of the six counties, and is known by some as the Orchard County due to its many orchards. Its county town is Armagh, and the county has an estimated population of 141,000. South Armagh was at one point the most militarised region in Western Europe due to "the Troubles".
