Ireland is a beautiful country which attracts a lot of visitors. Though largely uninhabited, the landscape is very picturesque and the people have a rich culture to boast of. Ireland is broadly divided into two parts- the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland gained independence from United Kingdom way back in 1921 along with 6 counties. It broke away from the Commonwealth countries in 1949 and became a part of European Community in 1973. In the past, Ireland and Great Britain have locked horns over various issues such as territory, region and religion. However, over the past few years, the two countries have been colluding to fight terrorism and other common threats.

There are several facts about Ireland that most people are unaware of. The fact that different currencies are being applicable in one country is enough to surprise people. The Republic of Ireland uses euro as its currency whereas Northern Ireland uses pound sterling.

Some lesser known facts about Ireland have been discussed here:

Contrary to popular belief, Ireland is not freezing with temperature dipping to sub-zero level. During summers, the temperature is pleasant at 20 degrees Celsius whereas in autumn it drops to 10C and in winters near zero degrees. Snowfall is infrequent in Ireland although it may occur at any time of the year. The sky is mostly overcast.

A large part of the Irish population is youthful where the average age of an Irish is around 35 years. Close to 45% of the population is below the age of 30 years.

Ireland is one of the countries with the largest population of Roman Catholics. Almost 88% of its people subscribe to this sect of Christianity while the rest follow the Church of Ireland.

Irish people do not despise English altogether. It is a part of their official languages along with Gaelic, which is spoken along the Western coast.

The Irish civilization dates batch to 600 to 150 BC, when Celtic tribes had arrived on the island to make it their settlement. Norse tribes began invading these settlements which were finally stopped in 1014 AD by King Boru, who defeated the Danes. Sometime after that, the English tribes started invading this community which led to the Gaelic-Anglo struggle and bitterness. The two countries are yet to settle their disputes entirely.

Ireland comprises of 5 cities and 29 counties. The capital city of the country is Dublin.

Ireland is a democratic and republican country, which has a parliament. The president is directly elected by the citizens of the country once in 7 years and s/he is eligible for re-election. The prime minister is nominated by the House of Representatives.

The national holiday of Ireland is St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated on the 17th of March every year.

The Irish are well educated with an average of 19 years of schooling. The literacy rates among women and men are 99%.

With an average of only 15.11% of arable land and 11 sq. km of land irrigated, Ireland is surprisingly suffering from water pollution due to run offs of chemicals from agricultural fields.