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      Geographical features in Northern Ireland

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can locate and name some of Northern Ireland's geographical features using atlases, maps, photographs and Google Earth.

      Key learning points

      1. The highest mountain in Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard in the Mourne mountains to the south east.
      2. Most people in Northern Ireland live in Belfast, Northern Ireland's Capital and biggest city.
      3. The countryside in Northern Ireland has small towns and villages, farms, forests and the UK's largest lake, Lough Neagh.
      4. Northern Ireland has some incredible coastal features, e.g. Giant's Causeway.

      Keywords

      • Mountain - A mountain is a natural raised part of Earth’s surface that is higher than a hill.

      • Capital city - A capital city is the place in a country where the government ‘sits’ and has its centre of power.

      • Lough - Lough is the Irish word for lake.

      • Coast - A coast is the boundary between the land and the sea or ocean.

      Common misconception

      Republic of Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom.

      Republic of Ireland is in the continent of Europe and only Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.

      Teacher tip

      If you are undertaking all lessons 3 to 6 Task B can be completed on one map of the UK to build up a full map of feature locations.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is 'lough' the Irish word for?

      river
      stream
      Correct answer: lake
      sea

      Q2.
      What does this image show?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: a rural area
      Correct answer: the countryside
      a town
      an urban area

      Q3.
      What is farmland used for in the UK?

      Correct answer: growing crops and raising animals
      building skyscrapers
      mining gold

      Q4.
      Match each country in the UK to the correct capital city.

      Correct Answer:England,London
      Correct Answer:Scotland,Edinburgh
      Correct Answer:Northern Ireland,Belfast
      Correct Answer:Wales,Cardiff

      Q5.
      What does this image show?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: a city
      Correct answer: an urban area
      a village
      a rural area

      Q6.
      What is a village?

      a small settlement with many buildings and people
      a large settlement with many buildings and people
      Correct answer: a small settlement typically located in the countryside
      Q5 City of London Skyline / Acediscovery / 2013 / Licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Where do most people in Northern Ireland live?

      Correct answer: Belfast
      Londonderry (Derry)
      Bangor

      Q2.
      What is the name of the smallest country in the UK?

      Scotland
      England
      Wales
      Correct answer: Northern Ireland

      Q3.
      How many people live in Belfast?

      Correct answer: 345,418
      55,000
      75,000
      1,000,000

      Q4.
      What is the highest mountain in Northern Ireland?

      Mount Snowdon
      Ben Nevis
      Correct answer: Slieve Donard
      Scafell Pike

      Q5.
      How high is Slieve Donard?

      250 metres high
      500 metres high
      Correct answer: 850 metres high
      1000 metres high

      Q6.
      What is the Irish word for lake?

      loch
      lake
      Correct answer: lough
      lawn

      To help you plan your 2 geography lesson on: Geographical features in Northern Ireland, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...