The region that is now Northern Ireland was long inhabited by native Gaels who were Irish-speaking and Catholic. It was made up of several Gaelic kingdoms and territories, and was part of the province of Ulster.

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Background
The main political divide in Northern Ireland is between unionists, who wish to see Northern Ireland continue as part of the United Kingdom, and nationalists, who wish to see Northern Ireland unified with the Republic of Ireland,

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Northern Ireland was covered by an ice sheet for most of the last ice age and on numerous previous occasions, the legacy of which can be seen in the extensive coverage of

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Northern Ireland has traditionally had an industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles, but most heavy industry has since been replaced by services, primarily the public sector.
Seventy percent of the

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Northern Ireland has underdeveloped transport infrastructure, with most infrastructure concentrated around Greater Belfast, Greater Derry and Craigavon. Northern

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The population of Northern Ireland has risen yearly since 1978. The population in 2011 was 1.8 million, having grown 7.5% over the previous decade from just under 1.7 million in 2001. This

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Northern Ireland shares both the culture of Ireland and the culture of the United Kingdom.
Parades are a prominent featureof Northern Ireland society,

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