Dublin



Dublin (/ˈdʌblɪn/; Irish: Baile Átha Cliath[11]  [ˌbʲlʲɑː ˈclʲiə]) is the capital and largest city in Ireland.[12] [13]  Dublin is in the province of Leinster on the east coast of Ireland, at the mouth of the River Liffey and bordered on the south by the Wicklow Mountains. The city has an urban area population of 1,173,179.[7]  The population of the Dublin Region, as of 2016, was 1,347,359[6]  and the population of the Greater Dublin area was 1,904,806.[14]

There is archaeological debate regarding precisely where Dublin was established by Celtic-speaking people in the 7th century AD.[15]  Later expanded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Ireland's principal city following the Norman invasion.[15]  The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland.

As of 2010, Dublin was listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) as a global city, with a ranking of "Alpha-", which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world.[16] [17]  It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy and industry.