Down
County of southeastern Northern Ireland
Area:
2,470 sq km/953 sq mi
Towns and Cities:
Downpatrick (county town), Bangor (seaside resort), Newtownards, Newry,
and Banbridge; the northern part lies within the commuter belt
for Belfast, and includes part of the city of Belfast, east of
the River Lagan.
Physical:
Mourne Mountains; Strangford sea lough
Industries:
Light manufacturing, plastics, linen, high technology and computer
companies, fishing, quarrying
Agriculture:
County Down has very fertile land. The principal crops are barley,
potatoes, and oats; there is livestock rearing and dairying
Population:
(1981) 339,200.
Government:
The county returns two members to the UK Parliament.
Physical
Down is a largely lowland county. The Silurian bedrock, and the low
hills that are scattered all over the north were formed from the
debris deposited and moulded by glacial action. In contrast, the
south is dominated by the Mourne Mountains, a granitic intrusion
the highest point of which is Slieve Donard (852 m/2,796 ft).
The coast at Dundrum Bay, where the mountains rise abruptly, is
sandy, but elsewhere the coastline is mainly low and rocky. In
the east it is penetrated by the long sea inlet Strangford Lough,
a noted habitat for birds and grey seals.
Features
There are a number of fortifications and early ecclesiastical remains
in the county, including: the prehistoric Giant's Ring earthwork;
Legananny Dolmen, a Stone Age monument; the well-preserved tower
house, Audley's Castle; 5th-century Nendrum Monastery on Mahee
Island in Strangford Lough; Grey Abbey, a Cistercian foundation
dating from 1193; Mount Stewart House and Gardens, the 18th-century
former home of the Marquess of Londonderry, noted for its statues
and carvings dating from the early 20th century
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