Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh) is one of the provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths (Irish: cúige) ruled by a rí ruirech, or “king of over-kings”. Northern Ireland is often referred to as ‘Ulster’, despite including only six of Ulster’s nine counties. This usage is most common amongst people in Northern Ireland who are unionist, although it is also used by the media throughout the United Kingdom.
Under the terms of the Act, Ireland was divided into two territories, Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland, with the border passing through the province. “Southern Ireland” was to be all of Ireland except for “the parliamentary counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, and the parliamentary boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry (the city of Derry)” which were to constitute “Northern Ireland”. The area of Northern Ireland was seen as the maximum area within which Ulster Protestants/unionists could be expected to have a safe majority. This was in spite of the fact that counties Fermanagh and Tyrone had Catholic/Irish nationalist majorities. While these six counties and two parliamentary boroughs were all in the province of Ulster, three other counties of the province – Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan – were assigned to the Irish Free State.
The biggest lake in the British Isles, Lough Neagh, lies in eastern Ulster. The province’s highest point, Slieve Donard (848 metres (2,782 ft)), stands in County Down. The most northerly point in Ireland, Malin Head, is in County Donegal, as are the sixth-highest (601 metres (1,972 ft)) sea cliffs in Europe, at Slieve League. The northernmost point in Ireland is in County Donegal, the most easterly point in Ireland is in County Down, and the most westerly point in the UK is in County Fermanagh. The longest river in the British Isles, the Shannon, rises at the Shannon Pot in County Cavan with underground tributaries from County Fermanagh. Volcanic activity in eastern Ulster led to the formation of the Antrim Plateau and the Giant’s Causeway, one of the UK’s 28 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The geographical centre of Ulster lies between the villages of Pomeroy and Carrickmore in County Tyrone. In terms of area, County Donegal is the largest county in all of Ulster.
