Area of 84,421 sq km.  Ireland is the third largest island in Europe.
The Republic of Ireland covers five-sixths of the island.

Borders – the only land border is with Northern Ireland, part of the UK, which covers the remaining one-sixth of the island area. The Republic is bounded in the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the east by the Irish Sea.

Largest cities –  Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath in Gaeilge, the capital - population 506 thousand), Cork (119 thousand) (data from 2006)

Main rivers - Shannon (386 km), Barrow, Suir

Terrain -  It is flat country with rivers such as the Shannon, lakes called loughs and bogland from which peat is extracted.  Cliffs on the western Atlantic coast.

Peat is still cut from the bogs