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| County Kerry | |
|---|---|
| Area: | 4,746 km² |
| Capital: | Tralee |
| Code: | KY |
| Population: | 132,527 (2002) |
| Province: | Munster |
County Kerry ( Irish: Ciarraí) is a county in the southwest of Ireland, in the Munster province of the Republic of Ireland, the county is informally referred to as The Kingdom. It has an area of 4,746 km² (1,832 square miles). The county town is Tralee. The county is bordered by County Limerick ( east) and County Cork ( South-east).
One of Ireland's most famous towns, Killarney, is located in Kerry. The county has two national parks, the Killarney Lakes and Dingle PeninsulaThe Dingle Peninsula is located in County Kerry and is the most westerly point of the Republic of Ireland. The peninsula is named after the town of Dingle and is the location of numerous prehistoric and early medieval remains, for example the St. Gallarus. The tip of the Dingle PeninsulaThe Dingle Peninsula is located in County Kerry and is the most westerly point of the Republic of Ireland. The peninsula is named after the town of Dingle and is the location of numerous prehistoric and early medieval remains, for example the St. Gallarus is the most westerly point in mainland Ireland.
Kerry has the highest mountains in Ireland: Macgillicuddy's Reeks.
The county is bordered on the west by the Atlantic OceanFor other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation The Atlantic Ocean is Earth's second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. The ocean's name, derived from Greek mythology, means the " Sea of Atlas". This ocean occupies an elongated, and on the north by the River ShannonThe River Shannon which divides Ireland into east ( Leinster) and west ( Connacht), has been an important waterway since antiquity. First mapped by Ptolemy, the 200 mile long river empties into the Atlantic Ocean in a western direction at Limerick, turnin, the longest river in Ireland.
Kerry's coast is a series of peninsulas and large bays. As well as the Dingle Peninsula there is the Ring of Kerry, a popular route for tourists and cyclists The pedestrian version is the scenic Kerry Way which follows ancient paths generally higher than that adopted by the Ring of Kerry.
Just off Kerry's coast are a number of islands, including the Blasket Islands and the Skelligs . Skellig Michael is a World Heritage Site, famous for the medieval monastery clinging to the island's cliffs.