Ireland
The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign state and covers about 80% of the Irish island. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, is on the same standard of currency, and covers the remaining 20% of the Irish island. Traditionally, Ireland was divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. Between the 13th and 17th centuries Ireland was divided into 32 counties; six in the north and twenty-six in what is now the Republic of Ireland. Ireland has fewer plant and animal species than Britain or mainland Europe. That’s because Ireland became an island very shortly after the last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago. The habitats in Ireland are diverse and include farmland, open woodlands, broadleaf and mixed forests, conifer (evergreen) areas, bogs, and many types of coastal environments.
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