Country of the World Northern Islands

About the country Northern Ireland, its location, size, population, leaders and rulers.

NATIONS AND THEIR RULERS

NORTHERN IRELAND (ULSTER)

Size: 5,452 sq. mi. (14,121 sq. km.).

Population: 1.5 million.

Who Rules: Northern Ireland has been under direct British rule since the Parliament in Belfast was dissolved in 1974. Under an act of Parliament, a constitutional convention is to decide what form the future Ulster government will take.

Who REALLY Rules: The religious war between majority Protestants and minority Catholics continues to dominate the lives of citizens here. Violent deaths in Northern Ireland numbered 111 in 1977, the lowest annual figure since 1970.