自学考试英美国家概况191206第十一章.docx

1、自学考试英美国家概况191206第十一章.9 vrtOJ-7-WO/.The Republic of Ireland.-.-.-.-.-. .I-p Chapter1 1Geogiraphy and History The British Isles are made up of two large islands and hundreds ofsmall ones. The two large islands are Great Britain and Ireland.Ireland is also called the Emerald Isle because of its rich gr

2、een coun-tryside. Ireland is divided into two political units. They are North-ern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Island is part ofthe United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland (Eire) is an inde-pendent country.1. Geographical Features The Republic of Ireland covers an area of 70, 282 sq

3、. km. It isbounded on the northeast by Northern Ireland, on the east andsoutheast by the Irisb Sea and St. Georges Channel and on thenorth and west by the Atlantic Ocean. The countrys total boundaryis 3, 603 km long, of which its land border with Northern Ireland is434 km.The capital is Dublin.It is

4、 located on Dublin Bay at the mouth ofthe Liffey River at its confluence, with the Dodder River. Dublin is acity of over I million. The other main urban centres are: Cork,Limerick, Galway and Waterford.Ireland has been compared to a basin in which a limestone plateauis rimmed by coastal highlands. M

5、aritime influences penetrate the191I-I ,- - - -. land. The central plain area is characterized by many lakes, bogs(wet areas) and low ridges. The principal mountain ranges are theMourne Mountains, the Wicklow Mountains in the east and theMacgillicuddys Reeks in the southwest. The highest peaks are C

6、ar-rantuohill (1, 041 rn) and Mount Brandon (953 m) near Killar-ney, and Lugnaquilla (926 m), about 64 krn. south of Dublin. Variety is the main feature of the lowlands. The Central Lowlandis the heart of Ireland. Easy passageways along valley and lowlandcorridors lead from it to every Irish shore.

7、Around the lowland thereare several types of landscape. The stretch of country between Gal-way Bay and Killarney has little economic value or aesthetic attrac-tion. It lies off the main commercial and tourist routes. To the westthe limestone gives way to a variety of rocks. The green fields of thelo

8、wland are replaced by bogs or towering mountains in West Con-nacht - The rivers of Ireland have courses of considerable variety and areamong the most attractive features of the scenery . They cross theCentral Lowlands as slow-moving strearns. They are frequently sur-rounded by bogs and marshes and i

9、n many cases reach their estuariesthrough valleys. The largest river in Ireland is the Shannon River.It rises in the plateau near Sligo Bay, flows sluggishly over the west-ern part of the lowland and then fills Lough Derg before beginningits final flow through rapids to its estuary., The Shannon Riv

10、er pro-vides electric power for much of the Republic. The Irish coast, with its striking cliffs, is among the most im-pressive in Europe. In the south and west, the coast is heavily in-dented where the ranges of Dotiegal, Mayo and Munster end in boldheadlands and rocky islands. The coastal precipice

11、s (very steep sidesof a cliff) of the west are almost 610 m high in Slieve League and192I higher on Achill Island, where it is possible to look down 183 m intothe water.I As Ireland was completely covered by ice sheets during the IceAge, all extant plants and animals are migrant species from otherpa

12、rts of Europe. However, with the submergence of the land bridgebetween Ireland and Britain in about 6, 000 BC, this migrationceased. As a result, Ireland has a much lower variety of plants and animals than Britain. The plants of Ireland are similar to those ofBritain - But there are only 1, 300 spec

13、ies of plants in Ireland, as a-gainst 2, 300 in Britain - The most common trees in Ireland are oak,Iash, elm and birch. Pine is dominant on poorer soils. The animalsof Ireland are also similar to those of Britain, with some notablegaps. Among the species absent are weasels, wildcats, moles, roe.deer

14、, snakes and common toads. There are also fewer bird and in-sect species. On the other hand, Ireland has some species not foundin Britain, such as the spotted slug and certain species of wood lice.Among domestic animals, Ireland is noted for breeds such as theConnemara pony, the Irish wolfhound and

15、the Kerry blue terrier.Bogs remain the most significant feature of Irish landscape. Theyoccur on all the mountains and cover large areas of the lowlands.11. Climate and WeatherThe weather of Ireland is described asddmild,moist and change-able.Extreme cold, long frosts, heavy snows in winter andscorc

16、hing days in summer are unconnnon. In some years Decemberis so mild that many gardens will have flowers in bloom, while inother,-, there is heavy snowfall. Late frosts have been recorded evenfor the month of May in exceptional years.193 -.1. Monthly winter temperatures in the west are 6t to 7r, from

17、 De-cember to March and in the east 51Z to 61C from November toMarch. This difference, though slight, means vegetation is morewinter-hardy in the west than in the east. The western valleys, suchas those around Killarney, have luxuriant woods, and the evergreensrarely experience any check to growth t

18、hrough cold. The mean sum-mer temperatures range from 151C to 161C in the south and on the coasts of Dc)negal. The extreme southeast and the lowlands betweenthe Leinster chain and the sea have an average of seven hours of sunIdaily in June, which decreases to five hours a day in the west. Mayand Jun

19、e are usually the sunniest months. September, a month cru-cial for farmers, is warmer than May but in many years is so wetthat harvesting is difficult. Ireland has excessive rainfall. About three-fifths of the countryhas a mean annual rainfall between 762 and 1, 270 mm, comparedto 508 to 1, 016 mm f

20、or most of Britain. Almost all the lowlandsnear the western mountains and the lowlands in the east of Irelandreceive adequate rain throughout the year. The average number ofrain days per year is high, ranging from 175 in the extreme south-east to between 20 and 250 on the west coast. Ireland is not

21、so mucha country of perpetual rain as one in which frequent showers alter-nate with sunny days. For the whole country the chance, of an un-usually wet or an unusually dry year is estimated at 25 %. Overall,Ireland suffers from excessive rather than deficient rainfall.Geographers have distin- Althoug

22、h relatively small in area, Ireland is large enough to showdistinct regional variations in climate.guished six climatic regions as follows:I. The NorthwestThe annual tainfall is from 1, 016 to 1, 778 mm with the maxi-194- amum in winter. The mean temperatures for January,the coolestmonth, are about

23、51C near the coast and slightly less inland, withthe summer means about 131C or 14r . Gales are frequent in win-ter. The combination of high rainfall and mild winters permits luxu-nant plant growth in sheltered places.2. Connacht and Clare- This region is similar to the Northwest, with slightly mild

24、er win-ters and warmer summers. It has even more abundant rain with an-nual falls of about 2, 540 mm in the hearts of the mountains and1, 016 to 1, S24 mm, per annum, in the lowlands. Strong winds limittree growth.3. The Southwest .Excessive rain combined with winter warmth invite comparisonwith Med

25、iterranean resorts, but there the comparison ceases, forthe region has rain on three days out of four, with an average of lit-tle more than an hours sun per day in December and January. Thesummers are warm, as a result of which the vegetation is luxuriant,II.and Mediterranean specie-%, evergreens an

26、d subtropical plant thrive.4. The SoutheastThe annual rainfall is 762 to 1, 016 mm in the lowlands of theVeastern and central regions and over 1, 016 nun in most of CountyCork and County Waterford. The winters are mild, with means of6C to 71C along the southern coast and slightly less on the eastern

27、coast - The summer months are comparatively warm with July meansof 15r to 16r,. The climate is far more favourable than the west-ern regions for farming.I5. The Central LowlandThis is the area of the lightest rainfall in Ireland, with two areasthat receive less than 762 mm per annum. The mean winter

28、 temper-195 atures. are about 41C to 51C .6. The NortheastI The climate here is cooler throughout the year than in the rest ofthe country. In winter the mean monthly temperatures are about4C but the coast is warmer. The mean summer temperatures areabout WC to 15*C. The rainfall is 762 to 1, 016 mm.

29、in the low-lands but higher in the Mourrie Mountains. Grassland predominateson most farms. -&and the region is noted for its excellent cattle pas-tures. and crops.III.Population and Religion The population of Ireland in 1990 was estimated at 3. 5 million. Itis expected to grow to 4 million by 2000.

30、In Ireland the basic ethnicstock is Celtic, with an admixture of Norse, French, Norman andEnglish. There are no significant ethnic minorities. Historically Ire-land has been free of ethnic conflicts because Of its racial homogene-ity -Ireland has four unusual demographic features:(1) a low birthrate

31、 compounded by a century of emigration,(2)a late marriage age (35 for men and 29 for women),(3) an excess of males in the population and(4) a high proportion of bachelors and spinsters of all ages.-Some- of these features are generally found in other, more ad-vanced countries, but in Irelands case they have had a longer histo-ry. Together they have reduced Irelands population by one-halfduring the past 100 years.The year 1845, when the Great Famine began, marks the end o