DUBLIN
Dublin is the capital and largest city of the Republic
of Ireland (and largest city on the island of Ireland),
located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at
the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the
Dublin Region. Originally founded as a center for the
Viking slave trade, the city has been Ireland's capital
city since mediæval times.
The term "Dublin Region" has become a substitute for the
traditional County Dublin, whilst "Greater Dublin Area"
is accepted as including the city and all of counties
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Kildare, Meath, South
Dublin and Wicklow. The limits of the commuter belt
stretch to a much greater distance than either of these
areas.
The population of the city proper was 495,781 at the
census of 2002. Beyond this, at the same census, the
total urban population (conurbation) was 1,004,614, the
city and county population of the Dublin Region was
1,122,821 whilst the Greater Dublin Area had a figure of
1,565,446. |