Editing County Cork (section)

==Geography==
[[Image:Glantane East Wedge Tomb.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Wedge tomb, [[Glantane East]]]]
Cork is the [[List of Irish counties by area|largest county]] in Ireland by land area, and the largest of Munster's six counties by population and area. At the latest census in 2022, the population of the entire county stood at 584,156. Cork is the second-[[List of Irish counties by population|most populous]] county in the State, and the third-most populous county on the island of Ireland.

County Cork is located in the [[Provinces of Ireland|province]] of [[Munster]], bordering [[County Kerry|Kerry]] to the west, [[County Limerick|Limerick]] to the north, [[County Tipperary|Tipperary]] to the north-east and [[County Waterford|Waterford]] to the east. The county shares separate mountainous borders with Tipperary and Kerry. The terrain on the Kerry border was formed between 360 and 374 million years ago, as part of the rising of the [[MacGillycuddy's Reeks]] and [[Caha Mountains]] mountains ranges. This occurred during the [[Devonian|Devonian period]] when Ireland was part of a larger continental landmass and located south of the [[equator]].{{sfn|Bourke|Hayden|Lynch|O'Sullivan|2011|p=3}}{{sfn|Site Management Plan}} The region's topography of peaks and valleys are characterised by steep ridges formed during the [[Variscan orogeny|Hercynian]] period of [[Fold (geology)|folding]] and [[mountain formation]] some 300 million years ago.{{sfn|Bourke|Hayden|Lynch|O'Sullivan|2011|p=3}}

Twenty-four historic [[Barony (Ireland)|baronies]] are in the county—the most of any county in [[List of baronies of Ireland|Ireland]]. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for many administrative purposes. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, where official Irish names of baronies are listed.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} The county has 253 civil parishes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.logainm.ie/Viewer.aspx?text=Cork&streets=no |title=Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved January 21, 2012 |publisher=Logainm.ie |date=13 December 2010 |access-date=23 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708105535/http://www.logainm.ie/Viewer.aspx?text=Cork&streets=no |archive-date=8 July 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Townlands are the smallest officially defined geographical divisions in Ireland, with about 5447 townlands in the county.

===Mountains and upland habitats===
[[File:Beara Way - geograph.org.uk - 263663.jpg|thumb|The Beara pass, through the Slieve Miskish mountains]]
The county's mountains rose during a period [[mountain formation]] some 374 to 360&nbsp;million years ago and include the [[Slieve Miskish Mountains|Slieve Miskish]] and [[Caha Mountains]] on the [[Beara Peninsula]], the [[Ballyhoura Mountains]] on the border with Limerick and the [[Shehy Mountains]] which contain [[Knockboy]] (706 m), the highest point in Cork. The [[Shehy Mountains]] are on the border with Kerry and may be accessed from the area known as Priests Leap, near the village of Coomhola. The upland areas of the [[Ballyhoura Mountains|Ballyhoura]], [[Boggeragh Mountains|Boggeragh]], [[Derrynasaggart Mountains|Derrynasaggart]], and [[Mullaghareirk Mountains|Mullaghareirk Mountain]] ranges add to the range of habitats found in the county. Important habitats in the uplands include blanket bog, heath, glacial lakes, and upland grasslands. Cork has the [[List of Irish counties by highest point|13th-highest]] county peak in Ireland.

===Rivers and lakes===
[[File:Loch an Ghleanna Bhig (Glenbeg Lough) - geograph.org.uk - 263779.jpg|thumb|left|[[Glenbeg Lough]], [[Beara Peninsula]]]]
[[File:Three Castle Head Upper Lake 2009 09 10.jpg|thumb|left|Upper lake at Three Castle Head, Mizen Head]]
Three rivers, the [[River Bandon|Bandon]], [[Munster Blackwater|Blackwater]], and [[River Lee (Ireland)|Lee]], and their valleys dominate central Cork.{{original research inline|date=July 2017}} Habitats of the valleys and floodplains include woodlands, marshes, fens, and species-rich limestone grasslands. The River Bandon flows through several towns, including [[Dunmanway]] to the west of the town of [[Bandon, County Cork|Bandon]] before draining into Kinsale Harbour on the south coast. Cork's sea loughs include [[Lough Hyne]] and [[Lough Mahon]], and the county also has many small lakes. An area has formed where the River Lee breaks into a network of channels weaving through a series of wooded islands, forming 85 hectares of swampland around Cork's wooded area. The Environmental Protection Agency carried out a survey of surface waters in County Cork between 1995 and 1997, which identified 125 rivers and 32 lakes covered by the regulations.

===Land and forestry===
Like many parts of Munster, Cork has fertile agricultural land and many bog and peatlands. Cork has around 74,000 hectares of peatlands, which amount to 9.8% of the county's total land area. Cork has the highest share of the national forest area, with around {{cvt|90020|ha|acre}} of forest and woodland area, constituting 11.6% of the national total and approximately 12% of Cork's land area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/65294-irelands-national-forest-inventory/ |title=National Forestry Inventory, Third Cycle 2017 |work=DAFM |date=17 November 2020 |access-date=30 July 2021 |archive-date=20 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620124029/https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/65294-irelands-national-forest-inventory/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It is home to one of the last remaining pieces of native woodland in Ireland and Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baraniuk |first=Chris |title=What would a truly wild Ireland look like? |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210211-rewilding-can-ireland-regrow-its-wilderness |access-date=18 February 2021 |website=BBC |date=12 February 2021 |language=en |archive-date=17 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217105438/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210211-rewilding-can-ireland-regrow-its-wilderness |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Mizen head ireland.png|thumbnail|right|[[Mizen Head]] is the most south-westerly point of both Cork and Ireland]]

===Wildlife===
The [[hooded crow]], ''Corvus cornix'' is a common bird, particularly in areas nearer the coast. Due to this bird's ability to (rarely) prey upon small lambs, the gun clubs of County Cork have killed many of these birds in modern times.<ref>C. Michael Hogan. 2009. [http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=26307 ''Hooded Crow: Corvus cornix'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed, N. Stromberg] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126090957/http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=26307 |date=26 November 2010}}</ref> A collection of the marine [[algae]] was housed in the [[herbarium]] of the [[botany]] department of the University College Cork.<ref name="Cullinane 73">Cullinane, J.P., ''Phycology of the South Coast of Ireland''. University College Cork, 1973</ref> Parts of the South West coastline are hotspots for sightings of rare birds, with [[Cape Clear Island|Cape Clear]] being a prime location for bird watching.<ref name="CapeClearBirdwatching">{{cite web |title=Cape Clear Island: a birdwatching bonanza |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland/cape-clear-island/travel-tips-and-articles/cape-clear-island-a-birdwatching-bonanza/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d2775e07 |website=Lonely Planet |date=20 September 2019 |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040757/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland/cape-clear-island/travel-tips-and-articles/cape-clear-island-a-birdwatching-bonanza/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d2775e07 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BirdWatchIrelandCapeClear">{{cite web |website=BirdWatch Ireland |title=Cape Clear Bird Observatory |url=https://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Birdwatching/CapeClearBirdObservatory/tabid/567/Default.aspx |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119073221/https://birdwatchireland.ie/Birdwatching/CapeClearBirdObservatory/tabid/567/Default.aspx |archive-date=19 November 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The island is also home to one of only a few gannet colonies around Ireland and the UK. The coastline of Cork is sometimes associated with whale watching, with some sightings of fin whales, basking sharks, pilot whales, minke whales, and other species.<ref name="ITWildWaters">{{cite news |last1=Whooley |first1=Pádraig |title=Wild waters: the lesser-known life of whales and dolphins along the Irish coastline |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sponsored/sse-airtricity/wild-waters-the-lesser-known-life-of-whales-and-dolphins-along-the-irish-coastline-1.2981971 |access-date=18 November 2017 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |archive-date=17 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117234838/https://www.irishtimes.com/sponsored/sse-airtricity/wild-waters-the-lesser-known-life-of-whales-and-dolphins-along-the-irish-coastline-1.2981971 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WAWWhaleWatching">{{cite web |last1=Fáilte Ireland |title=Whale Watching & Dolphin Watching in Ireland |website=Wild Atlantic Way |url=https://www.wildatlanticway.com/stories/coastal-escape/whale-and-dolphin-watching-on-wild-atlantic-way |access-date=18 November 2017 |archive-date=16 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016014805/https://www.wildatlanticway.com/stories/coastal-escape/whale-and-dolphin-watching-on-wild-atlantic-way |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="IrelandsWildlifeWhales">{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Calvin |title=How to watch whales and dolphins – whalewatching tips and advice |url=https://www.irelandswildlife.com/how-to-whale-watch/ |website=Ireland's Wildlife |access-date=18 November 2017 |date=23 August 2016 |archive-date=16 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016070029/https://www.irelandswildlife.com/how-to-whale-watch/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Coastline===
{{See also|List of islands of Ireland}}
Cork has a mountainous and flat landscape with many beaches and sea cliffs along its coast. The southwest of Ireland is known for its peninsulas and some in Cork include the [[Beara Peninsula]], [[Sheep's Head]], [[Mizen Head]], and [[Brow Head]]. Brow Head is the most southerly point of mainland [[Ireland]]. There are many islands off the coast of the county, in particular, off [[West Cork]]. [[Carbery's Hundred Isles]] are the islands around Long Island Bay and Roaringwater Bay.

[[Fastnet Rock]] lies in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] 11.3&nbsp; km south of mainland Ireland, making it the most southerly point of [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. Many notable islands lie off Cork, including [[Bere Island|Bere]], [[Great Island]], [[Sherkin Island|Sherkin]], and [[Cape Clear Island|Cape Clear]]. With an estimated {{cvt|1199|km|0}} of coastline, Cork is one of three counties which claims to have the [[List of Irish counties by coastline|longest coastline in Ireland]], alongside [[County Mayo|Mayo]] and [[County Donegal|Donegal]].<ref name=i2>{{cite web |url=https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/irish_coastal_habitats_impacts_conservation_areas_1998_2mb.pdf |title=Irish Coastal Habitats: A Study of Impacts on Designated Conservation Areas |website=heritagecouncil.ie |publisher=Heritage Council |access-date=6 May 2020 |archive-date=3 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203160047/https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/irish_coastal_habitats_impacts_conservation_areas_1998_2mb.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=i3>{{cite web |url=http://www.mayococo.ie/en/media/Media,32613,en.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728231511/http://www.mayococo.ie/en/media/Media,32613,en.pdf |archive-date=28 July 2020 |url-status=live |title=Mayo County Council Climate Adaptation Strategy |website=mayococo.ie |publisher=Mayo County Council |access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://research.thea.ie/bitstream/handle/20.500.12065/1521/Collins%2C%20Anthony%201996.pdf?sequence=7&isAllowed=y |title=Managing the Donegal Coast in the Twenty-first Century |website=research.thea.ie |publisher=[[Institute of Technology, Sligo]] |access-date=13 July 2021 |archive-date=13 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713101438/https://research.thea.ie/bitstream/handle/20.500.12065/1521/Collins,%20Anthony%201996.pdf?sequence=7&isAllowed=y |url-status=live}}</ref> Cork is also one of just three counties to border two bodies of water – the [[Celtic Sea]] to the south and the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the west. Cork marks the end of the [[Wild Atlantic Way]], the tourism trail from [[County Donegal]]'s [[Inishowen|Inishowen Peninsula]] to [[Kinsale]]

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+'''Average high sea temperature in County Cork'''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/ireland/bantry.htm |title=Bantry Average Sea Temperature |website=seatemperature.org |access-date=12 August 2021 |archive-date=12 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812125311/https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/ireland/bantry.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/ireland/cork-may.htm |title=Cork Average Sea Temperature |website=seatemperature.org |access-date=12 August 2021 |archive-date=12 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812125312/https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/ireland/cork-may.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|'''[[Cork Harbour]] (Celtic Sea)'''
!'''Jan'''
!'''Feb'''
!'''Mar'''
!'''Apr'''
!'''May'''
!'''Jun'''
!'''Jul'''
!'''Aug'''
!'''Sep'''
!'''Oct'''
!'''Nov'''
!'''Dec'''
!'''Year'''
|-
|Sea Temperature
| style="background:#4fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|11.4|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#9ff; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|10.7|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#9ff; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|10.5|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#6fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|12.2|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#9fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|12.9|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff7; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|15.8|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff1; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|18.1|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff1; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|17.9|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff5; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|17.4|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff7; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|16.0|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#cf9; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|13.7|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#6fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|12.3|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#cf9; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|14.1|°C|°F}}</small>
|-
|'''[[Bantry]] (Atlantic Ocean)'''
!'''Jan'''
!'''Feb'''
!'''Mar'''
!'''Apr'''
!'''May'''
!'''Jun'''
!'''Jul'''
!'''Aug'''
!'''Sep'''
!'''Oct'''
!'''Nov'''
!'''Dec'''
!'''Year'''
|-
|Sea Temperature
| style="background:#4fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|11.6|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#4fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|11.2|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#4fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|11.0|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#6fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|12.1|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#9fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|12.8|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff9; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|15.6|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff5; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|17.6|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff5; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|17.5|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff5; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|17.3|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#ff9; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|15.8|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#cf9; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|13.8|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#6fc; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|12.2|°C|°F}}</small>
| style="background:#cf9; color:black;"|<small>{{cvt|14.0|°C|°F}}</small>
|}