County Down

County Down, (Contae an Dúin in - meaning the Fort) is one of the nine  that form  and one of six  that form. The county forms an area of 2,448 km² (945 square miles). It lies in the province of. The estimated population in was 416,600, a more recent approximation puts it at about 516,000. The county town is, and the largest town is.

Down contains both the southernmost point in Northern Ireland and the easternmost point on the island of.

The county borders to the north, the  to the east and  to the west.

Geography
Down contains two significant s: and.

The county has a coastline along to the north and  to the south (both of which have access to the sea). lies between the Ards Peninsula and the mainland. Down also contains part of the shore of. Smaller loughs include.

The River Lagan forms most of the border with County Antrim. The also flows through the southwestern areas of the county. Other rivers include the and.

There are several islands off the Down coast:, and  (together, the ), all of which lie to the north of the Ards Peninsula. lies off the Lecale coast. In addition there are a large number of small islands in Strangford Lough.

County Down is where, in the words of the famous song by, " sweep down to the sea", and the  continue to be renowned for their beauty. , at 848 metres (2,796 feet), is the highest peak in the Mournes and the highest in Northern Ireland. Another important peak is, at 532 metres (1,775 ft), the source of the.

See also:
 * Towns in County Down
 * Villages in County Down
 * Towns in County Down
 * Villages in County Down

Places of interest
An area of County Down is known as Brontë Homeland (situated between Rathfriland and Banbridge, where had his church), after  (originally Prunty) -- father of, , and  -- who was born in this region. The city of in the south of the county contains St Patrick's (, 1578), overlooking the city centre from Church street, on the east side of the city, which is considered to be 's first ever Protestant church. is also the home of the first summit-level canal ever to be built in or.

Down is also home to Exploris, the Northern Ireland Aquarium, located in, on the shores of , on the.

The Old Inn in is one of 's oldest hostelries, with records dating back to 1614. The inn claims that people who have stayed there include, , , , , , former US president , and , who honeymooned there.