County Kerry is in the
southwest of Ireland, in the Munster province of the Republic
of Ireland, 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
to the east and County Cork to the southeast. It is bordered
on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the north by the
River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland.
One of Ireland's
most famous towns, Killarney, is located in Kerry. The
county has two national parks, the Killarney Lakes and
Dingle Peninsula. The tip of the Dingle Peninsula is
the most westerly point in mainland Ireland. Kerry has
the highest mountains in Ireland: Macgillycuddy's Reeks.
Kerry faces the
Atlantic Ocean and typical of the Atlantic coast, features
many peninsulas and inlets, principally the Dingle Peninsula,
the Iveragh Peninsula, and the Beara Peninsula, shared
with neighbouring County Cork. The county is bordered
on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the north by
the River Shannon. The Ring of Kerry on the Iveragh Peninsula
is 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.
Kerry contains two of the three highest
mountains in Ireland, Carrauntoohill, part of the Macgillycuddy's
Reeks range and Mount Brandon, part of the Slieve Mish
range. The Lakes of Killarney in the centre of the county
are a scenic tourist attraction. Just off Kerry's coast
are a number of islands, including the Blasket Islands,
Valentia Island and the Skelligs. Skellig Michael is
a World Heritage Site, famous for the medieval monastery
clinging to the island's cliffs.
Kerry contains the extreme west point
of Ireland Dunmore Head on the Dingle Peninsula, or including
islands, Tearaght Island, part of the Blaskets. The most
westerly inhabited area of Ireland is Dunquin, on the
Dingle Peninsula. The River Feale, the River Laune and
the Roughty River flow through Kerry, into the Atlantic.
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