第十一章Part Two The Republic of Ireland爱尔兰共和国地理与历史 Geography and History不列颠群岛由两大岛屿和几百座小岛组成。
两大岛屿是大不列颠和爱尔兰岛。
爱尔兰也因其乡村绿荫而被称为绿宝石岛。
爱尔兰分为两个政治区域：北爱尔兰和爱尔兰共和国。
北爱尔兰是联合王国的一部分。
爱尔兰共和国是个独立国家。
The British Isles are made up of two large islands and hundreds of small ones. The two large islands are Great Britain and Ireland. Ireland is also called the Emerald Isle because ot its rich green countryside. Ireland is divided into two political units. They are Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Island is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland (Eire) is an independent country.I.Geographical Features地理特征爱尔兰共和国的面积为70，282平方公里。
与北爱尔兰接壤的边界为434公里。
The Republic of Ireland covers an area of 70,282 sq.its land border with Northern Ireland is 434 km.首都是都柏林，The capital is Dublin.爱尔兰一直被比作盆地，内有海滨高地围起的石灰岩高原。
海洋性气候影响全国。
Ireland has been compared to a basin in which a limestone plateau is rimmed by coastal highland s. Maritime influences penetrate the land.最高峰是卡朗图山(1，041米)The highest peaks are Carrantuohill (1,041 m)爱尔兰最大的河是香农河，它发源于斯利戈湾附近的高原, 香农河为共和国提供了大部分电力。
The largest river in Ireland is the Shannon River. It rises in the plateau near Sligo Bay, The Shannon River provides electric power for much of the Republic.多样化是低地的主要特征。
中部低地是爱尔兰的心脏。
山谷的通道和低地走廊通向每一个爱尔兰海岸，Variety is the main feature of the lowlands. The Central Lowland is the heart of Ireland. Easy passageways along valley and lowland corridors lead from it to every Irish shore.因为爱尔兰在冰川时期完全被冰层覆盖，现在所有的动植物种类都是从欧洲其他地方迁徙来的。
As Ireland was completely covered by ice sheets during the lce Age, all extant plants and animals are migrant species from other parts of Europe.沼泽仍是爱尔兰最重要的地形特征。
在所有山脉中随处可见，并覆盖低地的大片地区。
Bogs remain the most significant feature of Irish landscape. They occur on all the mountains and cover large areas of the lowlands.l.气候 Climate and Weather爱尔兰的气候被描绘成"温和、温润和多变",地理学家把全岛划分为六大气候区：The weather of Ireland is described as "mild, moist and changeable." Geographers have distinguished six climatic regions爱尔兰雨量过多。
中部低地,是爱尔兰雨量最少的地区Ireland has excessive rainfall. The Central Lowland is the area of the lightest rainfall in Ireland,东北部以极佳的农场和庄稼闻名The Northeast is noted for its excellent cattle pastures and crops.Ⅲ.人口与宗教 Population and Religion爱尔兰的基本民族是凯尔特人，同时还混合有挪威人、法国人、诺曼人和英国人。
In Ireland the basic ethnic stock is Celtic, with an admixture of Norse, French, Norman and English.因为其种族的同一性，历史上的爱尔兰一直没有种族冲突。
There are no significant ethnic minorities. Historically Ireland has been free of ethnic conflicts because of its racial homogeneity.爱尔兰有四大不寻常的人口特征：Ireland has four unusual demographic features:(1)结合整个世纪的迁移而形成的低出生率；a low birthrate compounded by a century of emigration,(2)晚婚(男性35岁，女性29岁)；a late marriage age (35 for men and 29 for women),(3)人口中男性过剩；an excess of males in the population .(4)人口中各种年龄的独身男女占高比例。
a high proportion of bachelors and spinsters of all ages.1845年开始的大饥荒标志着爱尔兰社会历史的一个时代结束和另一个时代的开始。
The year 1845, when the Great Famine began, marks the end of one era and the beginning of another in the social history of Ireland.在人口自然下降的基础上雪上加霜的是同样历史悠久的人口外迁浪潮。
从1845年起，赤贫的人们跳上任何一艘能运载他们渡过爱尔兰海或大西洋的船只。
约有6百万人离开了爱尔兰。
To natural decrease was added a flow of emigration almost as long.From 1845 onward the desperately poor sought any ship that could carry them across the Irish Sea or the Atlantic. some 6 million people are estimated to have left Ireland in the century following the Great Famine.爱尔兰自由邦建立后 (1921年)，移民锐减。
After the establishment of the Irish Free State (1921), emigration showed a sharp decline.爱尔兰有两种官方语言：爱尔兰语(凯尔特语)和英语。
There are two official languages in Ireland. They are Irish (or Gaelic) and English,爱尔兰是欧洲最为信奉天主教的国家。
美国约有一半的天主教主教是爱尔兰裔。
Ireland is one of the most Catholic countries of Europe. About half the Catholic bishops in the United States are of Irish origin.爱尔兰圣公会是最大的非天主教教派。
尽管天主教占绝对优势，但很少发生反对非天主教徒的宗教歧视。
The Anglican Church of Ireland is the largest non-Catholic denomination，Despite the Catholic predominance, there is very little religious discrimination against non-Catholics.Ⅳ.历史背景 Historical Background在史前时代，爱尔兰遭受许多凯尔特部落的入侵，最重要的是盖尔人。
约公元前4世纪他们抵达此岛，征服了北方的皮克特人和南方的爱兰人部落(这是爱尔兰名称的来源)，后来他们定居下来建立了繁荣的盖尔文明。
Ireland was invaded by a number of Celtic tribes in prehistoric times. The most important were the Gaels. They arrived in the island about the 4th century BC. They conquered the Picts in the north and the Erainn tribe (from whom the name Ireland is derived) in the south. Then they settled down to establish a flourishing Gaelic civilization.爱尔兰历史上最重要的事件或许是公元432年圣帕特里克来到爱尔兰岛，并把此岛变成学问中心和基督教文化中心。
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