The Emerald Isle

      Ireland is often referred to as “The Emerald Isle.” This is due to the fact that Ireland is extremely green, with lush vegetation because of the mild ocean climate. The Gulf Stream, which leads into the North Atlantic Current, flows along the coast of Ireland. This causes the island to have warmer temperatures than other countries of the same latitude (like Russia). The average temperature year round is 55! Although the ocean’s current has caused the land to be rather mild, it has also caused the island to be very cloudy and rainy. In fact, it is cloudy about half of the time, and it will often rain on and off most days.

      Ireland is mostly flatlands, including bogs and wetlands, with small mountain chains similar to the east coast Appalachians, due to Pangaea. Glaciers helped to shape the landscape of the island. It is about the same size as Indiana, stretching a maximum of 175 miles across, and 300 miles north to south. It has 3000 miles of coastline, and is the 20th largest island in the world.