Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is a country situated in the North West of Europe. It shares its borders with Ireland and has access to the Atlantic sea. It is a part of the United Kingdom. Like the other members of the United Kingdom, he's a former member of the  European Union.

Appearance
Northern Ireland usually wears a shirt, tie, and a jumper. The colors of these clothing items depending on the day. He occasionally wears a Union Jack badge.

Personality
Northern Ireland has a lot of problems with mood swings. He changes his opinions very quickly and has a lot of conflicting thoughts. Sometimes he hates his brother Ireland, sometimes he doesn't. He can also be quite violent when provoked.

Interests
Painting murals, playing rugby, questioning his religion, holding parades, and sheep farming.

Flag meanings
There are two flags, one is the official one (red cross on a white background) and a part of the Union Jack. The other one (with the hand) has not been used officially since 1976, except in sporting events. It is called the "Ulster Banner", or "The Red Hand of Ulster".

The Red Hand of Ulster came from an Irish legend. The Kingdom of Ulster had no legitimate heir, so it was decided to hold a boat race. Whomever was the first person to touch the soil of Ulster would become king. A mythical figure Labraid Lámh Dhearg (Red Hand Labraid) was so desperate to be the king, that he cut of his hand and threw it at the shore. He was then granted kingship. The reason why the hand is red is because it was speculated to be bloody. From then on, the Red Hand of Ulster was used as a symbol of Ulster.

Other Symbols
The Red Hand of Ulster, Orange, and the Union Jack.

The Ulster Plantation
Northern Ireland first began to split from his brother Ireland at the time of the Ulster Plantation, the most successful of the Irish Plantations. It began when James I wanted to subdue the Irish lords in Ulster, as they encouraged rebellion amongst the Native Irish. Protestant and Presbyterian settlers from England and  Scotland arrived and seized land from the Irish living in Ulster. The Catholic Irish and Protestant/Presbyterian English became very divided, with both sides attacking each other multiple times in the years following the Plantation.

The Irish Famine
Although until recently it was assumed that Northern Ireland wasn't very affected by the Irish Famine, it has since been confirmed that Northern Ireland lost 15.7% of its population due to famine related deaths.

The Government of Ireland Act 1920
This Act split Ireland into "Southern Ireland" and "Northern Ireland". "Southern Ireland" eventually transitioned into the Republic of Ireland, however, the majority of Northern Ireland's people were unionists and wanted to stay in the United Kingdom. The Catholic minority were republicans and wanted to join Ireland.

The Troubles
In the late 60s, a civil war began in Northern Ireland, between the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and the Unionist Paramilitaries. Both sides committed many atrocities, with the IRA launching terrorist attacks resulting in the murders of many bystanders against the UK and unionists, and the Unionist Paramilitaries murdering people in the streets with the help of the UK's army and police force. The IRA wanted Ireland to be united again, whilst the Unionists wanted to remain in the UK. The Troubles made Northern Ireland very unsafe, and the civil war caused casualties nearly every day. The war claimed over 3,500 lives.

The Good Friday Agreement 1998
The Good Friday Agreement ended the Troubles. It relaxed border security and took weapons away from both sides of the war.

Northern Ireland Today
Northern Ireland is much safer than it was even a decade ago, but the divide between Catholics and Protestants can seem very bizarre to people from the rest of the world. Sectarianism is still rampant, with fights breaking out between the two often. However, Northern Ireland's economy is growing and things are looking up for the country.

Government
Since 1998, Northern Ireland has had devolved government within the United Kingdom, presided over by the Northern Ireland Assembly and a cross-community government (the Northern Ireland Executive). The UK Government and UK Parliament are responsible for reserved and excepted matters. Reserved matters comprise listed policy areas (such as civil aviation, units of measurement, and human genetics) that Parliament may devolve to the Assembly some time in the future. Excepted matters (such as international relations, taxation and elections) are never expected to be considered for devolution. On all other governmental matters, the Executive together with the 90-member Assembly may legislate for and govern Northern Ireland. Devolution in Northern Ireland is dependent upon participation by members of the Northern Ireland executive in the North/South Ministerial Council, which coordinates areas of co-operation (such as agriculture, education and health) between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Additionally, "in recognition of the Irish Government's special interest in Northern Ireland", the Government of Ireland and Government of the United Kingdom co-operate closely on non-devolved matters through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly are by single transferable vote with five Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) elected from each of 18 parliamentary constituencies. In addition, eighteen representatives (Members of Parliament, MPs) are elected to the lower house of the UK parliament from the same constituencies using the first-past-the-post system. However, not all of those elected take their seats. Sinn Féin MPs, currently seven, refuse to take the oath to serve the Queen that is required before MPs are allowed to take their seats. In addition, the upper house of the UK parliament, the House of Lords, currently has some 25 appointed members from Northern Ireland.

Diplomacy
List of diplomatic missions located in Northern Ireland:
 * China


 * United States


 * Poland
 * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Geography
Northern Ireland's most notable geographical feature is Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles. It spans 151 square miles. The Giant's Causeway is also an interesting geographical feature found in the country. There are a few mountain ranges, such as the Sperrin mountains. Northern Ireland is one of the least forested areas in Europe. Much of the land is used for farming due to the fertile land created by the Rivers Bann, Foyle and Blackwater. The total area of Northern Ireland is 14,130 km2.

Family

 * England - brother
 * Ireland - brother

Friends

 * Wales
 * Scotland

Neutral

 * United Kingdom
 * Ireland - They bicker a lot, often over nothing. Their fighting used to get violent especially during The Troubles era, but the two mutually decided that it would be better to settle their differences vocally.