How to Target your Website’s Visitors for Optimized Traffic
Daniel McDowell is CEO of DLM International LLC
Over the past decade, the web has grown to such a scale that there are websites covering every single topic under the sun. Due to the sheer scale of it, it is near impossible to pin point the exact number of websites which are on the web; however, statistics show that in February 2007 there were an estimated 29.7 billion pages on web. Taking into consideration the speed in which the web has grown since it’s beginnings in the 1990’s, it is safe to say that this number has increased greatly over the past three years. When it comes to using the internet in connection to our business, targeting the right customers can be hard due to the level of competition our website has. There are various methods in which we may attempt to attract the right visitors as a means to increase our traffic, but some of the most effective methods are in actual fact the cheapest and easiest methods.
Increasing your website’s traffic is all about making your presence known on the web. Marketing and advertising strategies are the main way in which to do this, but in terms of traditional business these can be costly and take sometime to be effective. However, the internet is a fast paced business which allows for your campaigns to be made live in a much shorter space of time, as well as lowering your costs to almost nothing. One of the best ways in which to target visitors is through the use of back links. These can be placed on a wide variety of sites which gain high traffic such as social networking websites and blog sites, but can also be placed on other sites which you can partner up with, exchanging links. When using back links, the first thing you must take into consideration is what your website/product is and what your target market is. In doing this, you will have a clearer idea of what the best sites will be for you to target as irrelevant sites or sites which receive a low level of traffic will be of no use to your website. If you are fortunate to have capital to use, you can also use the aid of Pay per Click schemes. Large search engine sites such as Google can offer this to you but before deciding on this as a means to help your traffic, think about how much you can honestly afford as not to risk a loss in profits.
As businesses look for cheap ways in which to promote their websites, there has been a great increase in the amount of blogs and article directory sites on the web. These allow you to promote your product or service, as well as providing a link back to your website all for the simple exchange of your content on the website. This is a great way in which to gain more back links to your website, as well as s great method of advertising and self promotion. Different websites will have their own guidelines in terms of what you may submit to their sites, but in most cases this is one of the easiest ways in which to promote your business for free. The more external websites you use, the more links you will accumulate on the web which will help your overall traffic level. However, ensure you submit content to reputable sites which have some kind of relevance to your website so that you are targeting the right visitors for your market.
Finally there is one of the most beneficial forms of advertisement- word of mouth marketing. This is not necessarily something which you can achieve yourself, but rather a method of marketing which is completed by your current customers and visitors for free. Word of mouth marketing works by users of your site adding their own back links on to websites in the form of link sharing. Many companies and websites have benefited from this increasing their traffic thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The way in which you can help this become possible is by providing a website and service which is worth talking about. By doing your own part in terms of promoting your website and your own marketing strategies on sites such as these, they are more likely to be noticed by visitors who will then be motivated to visit them. If they like what they see, they can then use bookmarking and other back linking methods to share with other web users they know, thus providing you with free marketing.
Generating traffic to your site is simple when you take into consideration what is right for your website. By looking at the way in which other websites are using the web to promote themselves, you too will soon discover the benefits which come from using simple, yet effective marketing techniques and see your traffic levels soar.
Daniel McDowell is CEO of DLM International LLC which operates globally providing products and services to their many clients, operating a variety of websites in many countries. To find out more about getting traffic to a website go to: http://www.trafficgrabsystem.com
26/04/2010
23/04/2010
Gasta Keywords
Entrepreneur country
Monitise achieves two major milestones
Developing shareholdings and incentive packages
French 'superangel' network announces €25m first fund close
Join us at the upcoming Entrepreneur Country forum, In A World With No Money... 16 June 2010, London
Entrepreneurs Petition against AIFM Directive - Act by Sunday 25 April !
You'll find interviews with many of the UK and Europe's leading entrepreneurs at www.entrepreneurcountry.net.
Monitise Achieves Two Major Milestones
Leading mobile banking and payments provider Monitise has reached two key milestones over the last week. Firstly the company announced it now has over 2 million registered users in the UK and the US, driven by increased uptake of its smartphone apps, and secondly, it has achieved a market capitalisation of £102m.
Monitise provides its secure Mobile Money Manager platform to over 240 banks and financial institutions in the US and UK, with 100 million transactions processed by the platform every year.
Soren Bested, managing director of Monitise Americas commented: “Activity across the Monitise platform continues to increase, servicing millions of transactions every month as we enable more services by text, mobile app, and browser. Smartphones continue to have a big impact on mobile banking - downloading an app and banking on their handset is becoming second nature to many users.”
In the UK, Monitise has partnerships with major retail banks including HSBC, Lloyds TSB, first direct, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Ulster Bank. In the US, Monitise Americas provides mobile banking and payments services to over 200 financial institutions including banks, credit unions, and prepaid card issuers.
Developing shareholdings and incentive packages
by Andrew Moss, corporate finance partner at Duncan Sheard Glass
Issuing or selling shares can often represent a complex challenge for even the most savvy entrepreneurs to negotiate. Where a business is family-run or has personal ties, such decisions can take on an additional, emotive complication.
Whether considering a partial exit, employee share options or recruiting a non-executive, the decision must be made with the express purpose of improving the business. If the overall value of the business consequently increases, the remainder held by the entrepreneur should exceed the whole had the transaction not happened.
When a business owner has resolved to release shares in their business, a shareholder agreement can provide protection for all parties involved.
When drafting the agreement, entrepreneurs should include clauses that allow them to continue drawing money from the business in dividend form for tax purposes without being hamstrung by paying dividends to other shareholders under present legislation. This can usually be achieved quite easily by using different classes of shares.
Shareholder agreements will generally contain specific clauses to determine what happens upon exit and, perhaps more importantly, protect the majority and minority shareholders by barring one from selling their holding and leaving the other vulnerable. Imagine the consequences of a competitor gaining a shareholding in your business.
Read the article here
French 'superangel' network announces €25m first fund close
France's internet entrepreneurs look set to receive a boost with the announcement last week that ISAI, a 'superangel' fund started by some of France's most experienced internet entrepreneurs, has held a first close of €25m.
The fund, which bills itself as "by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs", plans to invest in round sizes between business angels and traditional VCs. ISAI aims to invest in 12 businesses with strong growth potential over the next 12 years. It will put EUR 500,000 to EUR 1.5 million into internet companies less than five years old that have gone through the proof-of-concept phase.
The fund's founding partners include Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet, founder of French e-commerce site PriceMinister.com, Phone House France's Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, Former AOL CEO Stéphane Treppoz, and serial entrepreneur Ouriel Ohayon.
Jean-David Chamboredon, previously the head of 3i's VC arm in France, will lead the fund. His track record as a VC is impressive out of 11 early stage investments, 10 are either profitable, have been acquired or completed IPOs.
The majority of the fund comes from 60 founders who will act as a "brain trust" for ISAI, potentially taking board seats and co-investing personally alongside the ISAI fund.
In A World With No Money...
Entrepreneur Country Forum
16 June 2010
IET London: Savoy Place
We're pleased to announce a superb speaker line-up for our next Entrepreneur Country Forum, In A World With No Money...
The economic landscape today is perhaps the most challenging it has ever been for entrepreneurs looking to start businesses and companies trying to grow and expand. With investment capital scarce, businesses of all sizes are being forced to develop alternative growth strategies which are less reliant on substantial cash injections from external investors.
Founded by BBC Online Dragon and CEO of Ariadne Capital Julie Meyer, this must-attend event brings together entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders involved in the world of high-growth internet and technology businesses.
Top quality speakers will address the challenges of doing business in a world with no money:
Julie Meyer - CEO, Ariadne Capital
Lex Fenwick - Chairperson, Bloomberg LP
Rob Hersov - entrepreneur, catalyst and investor
Dominique Vidal - Partner, Index Ventures, co-founder of Kelkoo
Judy Piatkus - founder, Piatkus Books
Alex Cheatle - founder and CEO, Ten Lifestyle Management
Guy Rigby - Head of Entrepreneurs, Smith & Williamson
The day includes pitching sessions, lively panel debates, a showcase of pioneering digital businesses and workshops focused on specific business challenges.
In recognition of the challenging business environment and the theme of the forum, we are offering News, Views and Issues readers a super discount of £200 off the full delegate rate, bringing it down to a very affordable £95!
This is a limited time offer, available only until 14 May 2010, so register now using the discount code NVI2010 to secure your place.
http://entrepreneurcountry.eventbrite.com
If you have any queries, please contact enquiries@entrepreneurcountry.net
Entrepreneurs Petition against AIFM Directive - Act by Sunday 25 April !
Blog post from Fred Destin, Partner at Atlas Ventures
Euro Entrepreneurs, time to lobby! By this Sunday night, April 25, we need to get a significant number of European entrepreneurs to help the European Venture Capital Association in lobbying the EU and signing a petition against this damaging Directive.
Vote against an extensive Directive that will damage European Venture:
The directive sets out a number of measures ill-suited to venture capital and the financing of innovation. This is because it is designed to be a catch-all regulatory blanket that encompasses everyone from hedge funds to venture firms. The impact on both VC firms and startups is potentially significant:
Discriminatory disclosure requirements and administrative burden affecting startups backed by venture capital
Cost of compliance estimated at €30,000 per year for your companies
Absurd capital requirements imposed on venture firms
Requirement to use outside depositaries (i.e. custodians) and independent valuation agents, adding cost and complexity
There is a detailed review of these measures on EVCA.eu under "AIFM Directive". In a striking survey, the EVCA finds that 2/3 of investors questioned would reduce allocations to venture as a result of proposed regulation.
By emailing EVCA you will become a co-signatory to a letter published below, prepared by a fellow entrepreneur, Tom Van Aken of Avantium:
We represent a slice of the 25,000-plus population of European businesses that currently benefit from private equity and venture capital support. We are therefore increasingly alarmed by proposals within the EU’s draft Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive that would prejudice private equity and venture capital-backed companies such as ours, and ultimately restrict access to finance for Europe’s growth companies.
Act now:
Send an email to replies@evca.eu stating name, company name and HQ location and titled "Entrepreneur Petition against AIFM Directive"
Monitise achieves two major milestones
Developing shareholdings and incentive packages
French 'superangel' network announces €25m first fund close
Join us at the upcoming Entrepreneur Country forum, In A World With No Money... 16 June 2010, London
Entrepreneurs Petition against AIFM Directive - Act by Sunday 25 April !
You'll find interviews with many of the UK and Europe's leading entrepreneurs at www.entrepreneurcountry.net.
Monitise Achieves Two Major Milestones
Leading mobile banking and payments provider Monitise has reached two key milestones over the last week. Firstly the company announced it now has over 2 million registered users in the UK and the US, driven by increased uptake of its smartphone apps, and secondly, it has achieved a market capitalisation of £102m.
Monitise provides its secure Mobile Money Manager platform to over 240 banks and financial institutions in the US and UK, with 100 million transactions processed by the platform every year.
Soren Bested, managing director of Monitise Americas commented: “Activity across the Monitise platform continues to increase, servicing millions of transactions every month as we enable more services by text, mobile app, and browser. Smartphones continue to have a big impact on mobile banking - downloading an app and banking on their handset is becoming second nature to many users.”
In the UK, Monitise has partnerships with major retail banks including HSBC, Lloyds TSB, first direct, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Ulster Bank. In the US, Monitise Americas provides mobile banking and payments services to over 200 financial institutions including banks, credit unions, and prepaid card issuers.
Developing shareholdings and incentive packages
by Andrew Moss, corporate finance partner at Duncan Sheard Glass
Issuing or selling shares can often represent a complex challenge for even the most savvy entrepreneurs to negotiate. Where a business is family-run or has personal ties, such decisions can take on an additional, emotive complication.
Whether considering a partial exit, employee share options or recruiting a non-executive, the decision must be made with the express purpose of improving the business. If the overall value of the business consequently increases, the remainder held by the entrepreneur should exceed the whole had the transaction not happened.
When a business owner has resolved to release shares in their business, a shareholder agreement can provide protection for all parties involved.
When drafting the agreement, entrepreneurs should include clauses that allow them to continue drawing money from the business in dividend form for tax purposes without being hamstrung by paying dividends to other shareholders under present legislation. This can usually be achieved quite easily by using different classes of shares.
Shareholder agreements will generally contain specific clauses to determine what happens upon exit and, perhaps more importantly, protect the majority and minority shareholders by barring one from selling their holding and leaving the other vulnerable. Imagine the consequences of a competitor gaining a shareholding in your business.
Read the article here
French 'superangel' network announces €25m first fund close
France's internet entrepreneurs look set to receive a boost with the announcement last week that ISAI, a 'superangel' fund started by some of France's most experienced internet entrepreneurs, has held a first close of €25m.
The fund, which bills itself as "by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs", plans to invest in round sizes between business angels and traditional VCs. ISAI aims to invest in 12 businesses with strong growth potential over the next 12 years. It will put EUR 500,000 to EUR 1.5 million into internet companies less than five years old that have gone through the proof-of-concept phase.
The fund's founding partners include Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet, founder of French e-commerce site PriceMinister.com, Phone House France's Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, Former AOL CEO Stéphane Treppoz, and serial entrepreneur Ouriel Ohayon.
Jean-David Chamboredon, previously the head of 3i's VC arm in France, will lead the fund. His track record as a VC is impressive out of 11 early stage investments, 10 are either profitable, have been acquired or completed IPOs.
The majority of the fund comes from 60 founders who will act as a "brain trust" for ISAI, potentially taking board seats and co-investing personally alongside the ISAI fund.
In A World With No Money...
Entrepreneur Country Forum
16 June 2010
IET London: Savoy Place
We're pleased to announce a superb speaker line-up for our next Entrepreneur Country Forum, In A World With No Money...
The economic landscape today is perhaps the most challenging it has ever been for entrepreneurs looking to start businesses and companies trying to grow and expand. With investment capital scarce, businesses of all sizes are being forced to develop alternative growth strategies which are less reliant on substantial cash injections from external investors.
Founded by BBC Online Dragon and CEO of Ariadne Capital Julie Meyer, this must-attend event brings together entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders involved in the world of high-growth internet and technology businesses.
Top quality speakers will address the challenges of doing business in a world with no money:
Julie Meyer - CEO, Ariadne Capital
Lex Fenwick - Chairperson, Bloomberg LP
Rob Hersov - entrepreneur, catalyst and investor
Dominique Vidal - Partner, Index Ventures, co-founder of Kelkoo
Judy Piatkus - founder, Piatkus Books
Alex Cheatle - founder and CEO, Ten Lifestyle Management
Guy Rigby - Head of Entrepreneurs, Smith & Williamson
The day includes pitching sessions, lively panel debates, a showcase of pioneering digital businesses and workshops focused on specific business challenges.
In recognition of the challenging business environment and the theme of the forum, we are offering News, Views and Issues readers a super discount of £200 off the full delegate rate, bringing it down to a very affordable £95!
This is a limited time offer, available only until 14 May 2010, so register now using the discount code NVI2010 to secure your place.
http://entrepreneurcountry.eventbrite.com
If you have any queries, please contact enquiries@entrepreneurcountry.net
Entrepreneurs Petition against AIFM Directive - Act by Sunday 25 April !
Blog post from Fred Destin, Partner at Atlas Ventures
Euro Entrepreneurs, time to lobby! By this Sunday night, April 25, we need to get a significant number of European entrepreneurs to help the European Venture Capital Association in lobbying the EU and signing a petition against this damaging Directive.
Vote against an extensive Directive that will damage European Venture:
The directive sets out a number of measures ill-suited to venture capital and the financing of innovation. This is because it is designed to be a catch-all regulatory blanket that encompasses everyone from hedge funds to venture firms. The impact on both VC firms and startups is potentially significant:
Discriminatory disclosure requirements and administrative burden affecting startups backed by venture capital
Cost of compliance estimated at €30,000 per year for your companies
Absurd capital requirements imposed on venture firms
Requirement to use outside depositaries (i.e. custodians) and independent valuation agents, adding cost and complexity
There is a detailed review of these measures on EVCA.eu under "AIFM Directive". In a striking survey, the EVCA finds that 2/3 of investors questioned would reduce allocations to venture as a result of proposed regulation.
By emailing EVCA you will become a co-signatory to a letter published below, prepared by a fellow entrepreneur, Tom Van Aken of Avantium:
We represent a slice of the 25,000-plus population of European businesses that currently benefit from private equity and venture capital support. We are therefore increasingly alarmed by proposals within the EU’s draft Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive that would prejudice private equity and venture capital-backed companies such as ours, and ultimately restrict access to finance for Europe’s growth companies.
Act now:
Send an email to replies@evca.eu stating name, company name and HQ location and titled "Entrepreneur Petition against AIFM Directive"
20/04/2010
Gasta Keywords
The SEO industry is still in its infancy stage whether you want to admit it or not. The search engines are very young and sites like Google are just starting to get things right in the sense of really understanding how to catalog and display search data for users. Some websites come and go in short burst of energy and some stick around for the long haul. The same goes with various marketing efforts.
It is important to never avoid a marketing effort simply because you think it will not stick around for long. I still hear people say that Twitter is short winded and it will only be here for just a few years. Even if it is shouldn’t you be there trying to scoop up new business while you can? Everything in life is evolving including the business world. The internet has created a fast moving platform for people to express themselves and to communicate on. Regardless of an efforts life cycle you should always be using it to market yourself. In today’s marketplace there is no time or room for denial. Websites and marketing efforts move in large sweeping motions so it is important to take advantage of any new or existing marketing effort you can incorporate into your business plan.
5 Years ago MySpace was the big dog in the industry. Now the numbers have been steadily declining for about the last 24 months while websites like Facebook and Twitter have seen explosive growth leaping frogging the competition almost overnight. During the height of the MySpace era lots of businesses made a great deal of money and grew their business marketing themselves in that specific online community. Now the demographic has really shifted away as they continue to lose more users but that doesn’t mean that MySpace should have been avoided all together. If nobody used it years ago many of those businesses would not have made the revenues they did if they chose to avoid it all together. The point is many online communication vehicles are always changing so it is important to hop on now than to regret later you didn’t even show up for the party.
It is important to never avoid a marketing effort simply because you think it will not stick around for long. I still hear people say that Twitter is short winded and it will only be here for just a few years. Even if it is shouldn’t you be there trying to scoop up new business while you can? Everything in life is evolving including the business world. The internet has created a fast moving platform for people to express themselves and to communicate on. Regardless of an efforts life cycle you should always be using it to market yourself. In today’s marketplace there is no time or room for denial. Websites and marketing efforts move in large sweeping motions so it is important to take advantage of any new or existing marketing effort you can incorporate into your business plan.
5 Years ago MySpace was the big dog in the industry. Now the numbers have been steadily declining for about the last 24 months while websites like Facebook and Twitter have seen explosive growth leaping frogging the competition almost overnight. During the height of the MySpace era lots of businesses made a great deal of money and grew their business marketing themselves in that specific online community. Now the demographic has really shifted away as they continue to lose more users but that doesn’t mean that MySpace should have been avoided all together. If nobody used it years ago many of those businesses would not have made the revenues they did if they chose to avoid it all together. The point is many online communication vehicles are always changing so it is important to hop on now than to regret later you didn’t even show up for the party.
07/04/2010
Gasta Ireland Facts
The most northerly point is Inishtrahull Island, situated in the Atlantic Ocean 7 km north of Inishowen Peninsula, county Donegal. It lies at latitude 55.43ºN. Of mainland Ireland, the most northerly point is a headland 2 km northeast of Malin Head, Inishowen Peninsula, county Donegal. It lies at latitude 55.38ºN.
Most easterly point The most easterly point is Big Bow Meel Island, which is a rock situated 900 metres off the Ards Peninsula, county Down, at longitude 5.42ºW. Of mainland Ireland, the most easterly point is Burr Point, Ards Peninsula, county Down at longitude 5.43ºW. It is situated 2 km southeast of the village of Ballyhalbert.
Most southerly point The most southerly point is Fastnet Rock, which lies in the Atlantic Ocean 11.3 km south of mainland county Cork. It lies at latitude 51.37ºN. Of mainland Ireland, the most southerly point is Brow Head, county Cork, which lies 3.8 km east of the marginly more northerly Mizen Head. It lies at latitude 51.43ºN.
Most westerly point* The most westerly point is Tearaght Island, which lies in the Atlantic Ocean 12.5 km west of Dingle Peninsula, county Kerry. It lies at longitude 10.70ºW. Of mainland Ireland, the most westerly point is Garraun Point, Dingle Peninsula, county Kerry which is 2.5 km northwest of Slea Head. It lies at longitude 10.51ºW.
Geographical Centres
* The geographical centre of Ireland is to be found in eastern county Roscommon, at a point 3km (2 miles) south of Athlone town.
* The centre of Ulster is in county Tyrone, at a point 20km (14 miles) east of Omagh town, near the village of Pomeroy.
* The centre of Munster is in the north of county Cork, at a point 9km (6 miles) south-west of the village of Rath Luirc.
* The centre of Leinster is in western county Kildare, at a point 5km (3 miles) south-west of Kildare town.
* The centre of Connaught is in county Mayo, 6km (4 miles) south-east of the pilgrim village of Knock.
* The centre of Northern Ireland is in eastern county Tyrone, at a point 6km (4 miles) south-east of the town of Cookstown.
* The centre of the Republic of Ireland is in south-eastern county Galway, at a point 3km (2 miles) south-west of the village of Eyrecourt.
Highest altitude The summit of Mt Carrantuohill, county Kerry, rises to 1,041 metres (3414 feet) above sea level. The second highest point is the summit of Mt Beenkeragh, county Kerry, which rises to 1,010 metres (3314 feet) above sea level. The highest point in Northern Ireland is the summit of Slieve Donard, county Down, which rises to 852 metres (2796 feet) above sea level, and is the 8th highest peak in Ireland.
Tallest sea cliffs The sea cliffs at Croaghaun, Achill Island off western Ireland fall 668 metres (2,192 feet) into the Atlantic Ocean. Slieve League in county Donegal has a drop of 601 metres (1,972 feet) into the same ocean. Both cliffs are almost twice the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. However, as there is no vantage point to see the cliffs at Achill Island the Donegal cliffs are more famous.
(thanks to Michele of irelandyes.com for this information)
Most populated county The most heavily populated county is county Dublin, with 1,056,666 inhabitants at the last estimate. The next most heavily populated county is Antrim, with 566,400 inhabitants.
Most densely populated county The most densely populated county is county Dublin, with 1147.3 inhabitants per square kilometre at the last estimate. The next most densely populated is county Antrim, with 199.2 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Least populated county The county with the fewest inhabitants is county Leitrim with just 25,032 inhabitants at the last estimate. The next lowest is county Longford with 30,128 inhabitants.
Most sparsely populated county The most sparsely populated county in Ireland is Leitrim, with a mere 15.8 inhabitants per square kilometre at the last estimate. The next most sparsely populated is county Mayo, which has 19.9 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Largest settlements The largest city in Ireland is Dublin, which at 859,976 inhabitants, is home to almost 1 in 5 Irish people, and more than 1 in 4 in the Irish Republic. The next 9 largest settlements are Belfast (counties Down and Antrim, 475,968), Cork (county Cork, 174,400), Limerick (county Limerick, 75,436) Derry (county Londonderry, 72,334), Newtownabbey (county Antrim, 56,811), Dún Laoghaire (county Dublin, 55,540), Bangor (county Down, 52,437), Galway (county Galway, 50,853) and Lisburn (county Antrim, 42,110). More towns.
Largest county In terms of area, the largest county in Ireland is county Cork at 7,457 km². The next largest is county Galway, at 6,148 km². The largest county in Northern Ireland is county Tyrone, at 3,155 km².
Smallest county The smallest county in Ireland is county Louth, which is just 820 km² in area - 9 times smaller than county Cork. The next smallest is county Carlow, which is 896 km². The smallest county in Northern Ireland is county Armagh, at 1,254 km².
Longest river The longest river in Ireland is the river Shannon whose source is Shannon Pot, county Cavan, and which enters the sea between counties Clare and Limerick after a journey of 386 km (240 miles). It is, in fact, the longest river in the British Isles. The longest river within Northern Ireland is the river Bann, whose source is in the Mourne Mountains, county Down and which enters the sea in county Londonderry after 122 km (76 miles).
Largest lake Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, which is 396 km² (153 miles²) in area. It forms part of counties Tyrone, Londonderry, Antrim, Down and Armagh. It is, in fact, the largest lake in the British Isles.
Closest to Britain The closest point that Ireland comes to Britain is Torr Head, county Antrim, which is just 23 km (14 miles) from the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. On most days, fields in Scotland can be seen clearly across the North Channel.
Largest island Besides Ireland itself (82,463 km²) the largest offshore island in Irish waters is Achill island, county Mayo, with an area of 148 km² (57 miles²).
Tallest waterfall Ireland's tallest waterfall is Powerscourt Falls, county Wicklow, where the water drops 106 metres (350 feet). It is the third tallest waterfall in the British Isles.
Sunniest town The town in Ireland which enjoys the most sunshine is Rosslare, county Wexford which has over 1600 hours of sunshine per year (4 hrs, 20 mins per day).
Cloudiest town The town in Ireland which receives the least sunshine is Omagh, county Tyrone which has less than 1200 hours of sunshine per year (3 hrs, 20 mins per day).
Wettest place The wettest place in Ireland is the area of the Maumturk and Partry mountains of counties Mayo and Galway, which receive annually over 2400 mm of rain.
Driest place The driest place in Ireland is Dublin city which receives less than 800 mm of rain per year.
*Excludes Rockall Island, which is situated in the north Atlantic 440 km northwest of county Donegal. Although it is merely an uninhabited outcrop of rock a few tens of metres across, it is important in that whoever owns it can claim the fishing and oil rights around it. It is currently in dispute between Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Rockall Island is at latitude 57.61ºN, longitude 13.70ºW.
Most easterly point The most easterly point is Big Bow Meel Island, which is a rock situated 900 metres off the Ards Peninsula, county Down, at longitude 5.42ºW. Of mainland Ireland, the most easterly point is Burr Point, Ards Peninsula, county Down at longitude 5.43ºW. It is situated 2 km southeast of the village of Ballyhalbert.
Most southerly point The most southerly point is Fastnet Rock, which lies in the Atlantic Ocean 11.3 km south of mainland county Cork. It lies at latitude 51.37ºN. Of mainland Ireland, the most southerly point is Brow Head, county Cork, which lies 3.8 km east of the marginly more northerly Mizen Head. It lies at latitude 51.43ºN.
Most westerly point* The most westerly point is Tearaght Island, which lies in the Atlantic Ocean 12.5 km west of Dingle Peninsula, county Kerry. It lies at longitude 10.70ºW. Of mainland Ireland, the most westerly point is Garraun Point, Dingle Peninsula, county Kerry which is 2.5 km northwest of Slea Head. It lies at longitude 10.51ºW.
Geographical Centres
* The geographical centre of Ireland is to be found in eastern county Roscommon, at a point 3km (2 miles) south of Athlone town.
* The centre of Ulster is in county Tyrone, at a point 20km (14 miles) east of Omagh town, near the village of Pomeroy.
* The centre of Munster is in the north of county Cork, at a point 9km (6 miles) south-west of the village of Rath Luirc.
* The centre of Leinster is in western county Kildare, at a point 5km (3 miles) south-west of Kildare town.
* The centre of Connaught is in county Mayo, 6km (4 miles) south-east of the pilgrim village of Knock.
* The centre of Northern Ireland is in eastern county Tyrone, at a point 6km (4 miles) south-east of the town of Cookstown.
* The centre of the Republic of Ireland is in south-eastern county Galway, at a point 3km (2 miles) south-west of the village of Eyrecourt.
Highest altitude The summit of Mt Carrantuohill, county Kerry, rises to 1,041 metres (3414 feet) above sea level. The second highest point is the summit of Mt Beenkeragh, county Kerry, which rises to 1,010 metres (3314 feet) above sea level. The highest point in Northern Ireland is the summit of Slieve Donard, county Down, which rises to 852 metres (2796 feet) above sea level, and is the 8th highest peak in Ireland.
Tallest sea cliffs The sea cliffs at Croaghaun, Achill Island off western Ireland fall 668 metres (2,192 feet) into the Atlantic Ocean. Slieve League in county Donegal has a drop of 601 metres (1,972 feet) into the same ocean. Both cliffs are almost twice the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. However, as there is no vantage point to see the cliffs at Achill Island the Donegal cliffs are more famous.
(thanks to Michele of irelandyes.com for this information)
Most populated county The most heavily populated county is county Dublin, with 1,056,666 inhabitants at the last estimate. The next most heavily populated county is Antrim, with 566,400 inhabitants.
Most densely populated county The most densely populated county is county Dublin, with 1147.3 inhabitants per square kilometre at the last estimate. The next most densely populated is county Antrim, with 199.2 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Least populated county The county with the fewest inhabitants is county Leitrim with just 25,032 inhabitants at the last estimate. The next lowest is county Longford with 30,128 inhabitants.
Most sparsely populated county The most sparsely populated county in Ireland is Leitrim, with a mere 15.8 inhabitants per square kilometre at the last estimate. The next most sparsely populated is county Mayo, which has 19.9 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Largest settlements The largest city in Ireland is Dublin, which at 859,976 inhabitants, is home to almost 1 in 5 Irish people, and more than 1 in 4 in the Irish Republic. The next 9 largest settlements are Belfast (counties Down and Antrim, 475,968), Cork (county Cork, 174,400), Limerick (county Limerick, 75,436) Derry (county Londonderry, 72,334), Newtownabbey (county Antrim, 56,811), Dún Laoghaire (county Dublin, 55,540), Bangor (county Down, 52,437), Galway (county Galway, 50,853) and Lisburn (county Antrim, 42,110). More towns.
Largest county In terms of area, the largest county in Ireland is county Cork at 7,457 km². The next largest is county Galway, at 6,148 km². The largest county in Northern Ireland is county Tyrone, at 3,155 km².
Smallest county The smallest county in Ireland is county Louth, which is just 820 km² in area - 9 times smaller than county Cork. The next smallest is county Carlow, which is 896 km². The smallest county in Northern Ireland is county Armagh, at 1,254 km².
Longest river The longest river in Ireland is the river Shannon whose source is Shannon Pot, county Cavan, and which enters the sea between counties Clare and Limerick after a journey of 386 km (240 miles). It is, in fact, the longest river in the British Isles. The longest river within Northern Ireland is the river Bann, whose source is in the Mourne Mountains, county Down and which enters the sea in county Londonderry after 122 km (76 miles).
Largest lake Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, which is 396 km² (153 miles²) in area. It forms part of counties Tyrone, Londonderry, Antrim, Down and Armagh. It is, in fact, the largest lake in the British Isles.
Closest to Britain The closest point that Ireland comes to Britain is Torr Head, county Antrim, which is just 23 km (14 miles) from the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. On most days, fields in Scotland can be seen clearly across the North Channel.
Largest island Besides Ireland itself (82,463 km²) the largest offshore island in Irish waters is Achill island, county Mayo, with an area of 148 km² (57 miles²).
Tallest waterfall Ireland's tallest waterfall is Powerscourt Falls, county Wicklow, where the water drops 106 metres (350 feet). It is the third tallest waterfall in the British Isles.
Sunniest town The town in Ireland which enjoys the most sunshine is Rosslare, county Wexford which has over 1600 hours of sunshine per year (4 hrs, 20 mins per day).
Cloudiest town The town in Ireland which receives the least sunshine is Omagh, county Tyrone which has less than 1200 hours of sunshine per year (3 hrs, 20 mins per day).
Wettest place The wettest place in Ireland is the area of the Maumturk and Partry mountains of counties Mayo and Galway, which receive annually over 2400 mm of rain.
Driest place The driest place in Ireland is Dublin city which receives less than 800 mm of rain per year.
*Excludes Rockall Island, which is situated in the north Atlantic 440 km northwest of county Donegal. Although it is merely an uninhabited outcrop of rock a few tens of metres across, it is important in that whoever owns it can claim the fishing and oil rights around it. It is currently in dispute between Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Rockall Island is at latitude 57.61ºN, longitude 13.70ºW.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
