Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets.

The population of Ireland is estimated to be 6.2 million. Slightly less than 4.5 million are estimated to live in the Republic of Ireland and slightly fewer than 1.8 million are estimated to live in Northern Ireland.

Irish culture has had a significant influence on culture world-wide, particularly in the fields of literature and, to a lesser degree, science and learning. A strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed for example through native sports and the Irish language, alongside a common Western culture, such as contemporary music and drama, and sports such as football, rugby and golf, and the English language.