This article needs additional citations for. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Adjoined to the north-east shore of , the county covers an area of 3,046 square kilometres 1,176 sq mi and has a population of about 618,000. County Antrim has a population density of 203 people per square kilometre or 526 people per square mile. It is also one of the thirty-two traditional , as well as part of the historic of. The offer isolated rugged landscapes, the is a unique landscape and a UNESCO , produces whiskey, and is a popular seaside resort and night-life area. The majority of , the capital city of Northern Ireland, is in County Antrim, with the remainder being in. According to the , it is currently one of only two counties of Ireland in which a majority of the population are from a background. The other is to the south. Larne Harbour A large portion of Antrim is hilly, especially in the east, where the highest elevations are attained. The range runs north and south, and, following this direction, the highest points are Knocklayd 514 m 1,690 ft , 508 m 1,670 ft , Trostan 550 m 1,800 ft , 437 m 1,430 ft , Agnew's Hill 474 m 1,560 ft and Divis 478 m 1,570 ft. The inland slope is gradual, but on the northern shore the range terminates in abrupt and almost perpendicular declivities, and here, consequently, some of the finest coast scenery in the world is found, widely differing, with its unbroken lines of cliffs, from the indented coast-line of the west. The most remarkable cliffs are those formed of perpendicular basaltic columns, extending for many miles, and most strikingly displayed in and the celebrated. From the eastern coast the hills rise instantly but less abruptly, and the indentations are wider and deeper. On both coasts there are several resort towns, including with well-known golf links , and ; on the east , and on Red Bay, and , on the , and on Belfast Lough. All are somewhat exposed to the easterly winds prevalent in spring. The only island of size is the L-shaped , off Ballycastle, 11 km 6. It is partially arable, and supports a small population. The valleys of the and , with the intervening shores of Lough Neagh, form the fertile lowlands. These two rivers, both rising in County Down, are the only ones of importance. The latter flows to Belfast Lough, the former drains Lough Neagh, which is fed by a number of smaller streams. The fisheries of the Bann and of Lough Neagh especially for and are of value both commercially and to sportsmen, the small town of , at the outflow of the river, being the centre. County Antrim has a number of air, rail and sea links. Air Northern Ireland's main airport, , at Aldergrove is in County Antrim. Belfast International shares its runways with , which otherwise has its own facilities. There are regular services to Great Britain, Europe and North America. The region is also served by , a mile east of Belfast on the County Down side of the city, which was renamed in 2006 in honour of. Rail See also: The main routes are the major line between Belfast, Antrim, , and , Belfast to and , the port for in Scotland and Coleraine to. Sea Two of Northern Ireland's main ports are in County Antrim, and. Ferries sail from Larne Harbour to destinations including in Scotland. The is Northern Ireland's principal maritime gateway, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the. It is a major centre of industry and commerce and has become established as the focus of logistics activity for Northern Ireland. Around two-thirds of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade, and a quarter of that for Ireland as a whole is handled at the port, which receives over 6,000 vessels each year. The is the largest religious denomination, followed by the and the Anglican. County Antrim is one of two in Ireland in which the majority of people are , according to the , the other being. The strong Presbyterian presence in the county is due largely to the county's historical links with , which supplied many immigrants to Ireland. Protestants are the majority in most of the county, whilst Catholics are concentrated in Belfast, particularly the west of the city, the northeast, and on the shore of Lough Neagh. The traditional county town is. More recently, was the seat of county government. The counties of Northern Ireland ceased to be administrative entities in 1973, with the reorganization of local government. In Northern Ireland the county structure is no longer used in local government. Northern Ireland is split into. At what date the county of Antrim was formed is not known, but it appears that a certain district bore this name before the reign of early 14th century , and when the shiring of Ulster was undertaken by Sir in the 16th century, Antrim and Down were already recognised divisions, in contradistinction to the remainder of the province. The earliest known inhabitants were of pre- origin, but the names of the or subdivisions, supposed to have been made in the 13th century, are all of Celtic derivation. In ancient times, Antrim was inhabited by a Celtic people called the. Dál Riada was ruled by the O'Lynch clan, who were of the Ulidians. Besides the Ulidians and Dál Riada, there were the of lower County Antrim, and the , who were pre-Gaelic Celts and probably related to the Picts of Britain. Between the 8th and 11th centuries Antrim was exposed to the inroads of the. In the late 12th century Antrim became part of the , conquered by invaders. A revival of Gaelic power followed the campaign of in 1315, leaving as the only significant English stronghold. In the late Middle Ages, Antrim was divided into three parts: northern Clandeboye, the Glynnes and the Route. The were powerful in the Route. A branch of the O'Neills of Tyrone migrated to Clandeboye in the 14th century, and ruled it for a time. Their family was called O'Neill Clannaboy. A sept, the MacDonnells, became the most powerful in the Glynnes in the 15th century. During the 16th century numerous adventurers from Britain attempted to colonise the region; many Scots settled in Antrim around this time. In 1588 the Antrim coast was the scene of one of the 24 wrecks of the. The Spanish vessel was wrecked off Lacana Point, Giant's Causeway in 1588 with the loss of nearly 1,300 lives. Antrim is divided into sixteen baronies. Upper Antrim, part of Lower Clandeboye, was the home of the O'Keevans. Belfast was part of Lower Clandeboye and was held by the O'Neill-Clannaboys. Lower Belfast, Upper Belfast, and Carrickfergus were also part of Lower Clandeboye. Cary was part of the Glynnes; ruled originally by the O'Quinn sept, the MacDonnell galloglasses from Scotland took power here in the late Middle Ages and some of the O'Haras also migrated from. Upper and Lower were part of the Route, and were ruled by the MacQuillans. In addition to that sept and that of O'Quinn, both of which were native, the Scottish septs of MacKeown, MacAlister, and MacGee, are found there. Lower Massereene was part of Lower Clandeboye and was ruled by the O'Flynns and the O'Heircs. Upper Massereene was part of Lower Clandeboye, ruled by the O'Heircs. Misc was first ruled by the MacQuillans. Later, the Scottish Gallowglass MacDonnells and MacAlisters invaded. The MacDonnells were a branch of the Scottish Clan MacDonald; the MacAlisters traced their origin back to the Irish Colla Uais, eldest of the Three Collas. In 1689 during the , County Antrim was a centre of Protestant resistance against the rule of the Catholic. During the developing crisis James' garrison at successfully repulsed an attempt by local Protestants to storm it. After the advance of the under , all of County Antrim was brought under control. Later in the year a major expedition from England under landed in and successfully. Having captured most of the largest towns of the area, they then marched southwards towards. Historic monuments See also: The antiquities of the county consist of , mounts or forts, remains of ecclesiastical and military structures, and. There are three round towers: one at Antrim, one at , and one on in Lough Neagh, only that at Antrim being perfect. There are some remains of the ecclesiastic establishments at , where the earls of Antrim are buried, , Glenarm, , and Whiteabbey. The castle at , dating from the , is one of the best preserved medieval structures in Ireland. There are, however, remains of other ancient castles, as , Cam's, , Glenarm, Garron Tower, Red Bay, and , notable for its dramatic location on a rocky outcrop. The principal cairns are: one on Colin mountain, near Lisburn; one on , near Carrickfergus; and two on Colinward. The most worthy of notice are: one near , to the north-east of the old road from Belfast to ; the large cromlech at , near ; and one at the northern extremity of Islandmagee. The mounts, forts and entrenchments are very numerous. The natural rock formations of on the Antrim coast are now designated a. Saint Patrick , about eight miles 13 km east of Ballymena, is notable as being the scene of St Patrick's early life. According to tradition was a slave for seven years, near the hill of Slemish, until he escaped back to Great Britain. Linen manufacturing was previously an important industry in the County. At the time Ireland produced a large amount of. Cotton-spinning by was first introduced to Belfast by industrialists Robert Joy and Thomas M'Cabe in 1777; and twenty-three years later it was estimated that more than 27,000 people were employed in the industry within ten miles 16 km of Belfast. Women were employed in the working of patterns on. Adams who notes that the list contains 211 species. Batter's list, of 1902, contained 747 species in his catalogue of British marine algae. Of the freshwater there are 10 taxa in the recorded from Co. Antrim: ; ; R. Retrieved 8 March 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2010. Archived from on 29 May 2007. NI Neighbourhood Information Service. Retrieved 23 February 2009. The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland. Galway: Galway University Press Limited. Early Irish History and Mythology. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Early Irish History and Mythology. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. A History of the Town of Belfast. Annual Report of the Advisory Committee on Historic Wrecks, 2005. Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites. Retrieved 1 November 2008. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. The Seaweeds of the Antrim Coast. A catalogue of the British marine algae being a list of all the species of seaweed known to occur on the shores of the British Islands, with the localities where they are found. Third edition Institute of Irish Studies and The Queen's University of Belfast.
