Editing Northern Ireland (section)

===Counties===
{{Main|Counties of Northern Ireland}}
[[File:Northern Ireland - Counties copy.png|thumb|The six counties of Northern Ireland]]
Northern Ireland consists of six historic [[Counties of Ireland|counties]]: [[County Antrim]], [[County Armagh]], [[County Down]], [[County Fermanagh]], [[County Londonderry]],{{efn|Many Nationalists use the name ''County Derry''.{{Self-reference|Wikipedia policy is to use Londonderry for the county and Derry for the city. The name usage does not indicate an endorsement for either community's opinions.}}}} and [[County Tyrone]].

These counties are no longer used for local government purposes; instead, there are eleven [[districts of Northern Ireland]] which have different geographical extents. These were created in 2015, replacing the twenty-six districts which previously existed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/new-super-councils-begin-work-in-northern-ireland-1.2160407 |title=New 'super councils' begin work in Northern Ireland |date=1 April 2015 |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=27 May 2015 |archive-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626145839/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/new-super-councils-begin-work-in-northern-ireland-1.2160407 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Although counties are no longer used for local governmental purposes, they remain a popular means of describing where places are. They are officially used while applying for an [[Irish passport]], which requires one to state one's county of birth. The name of that county then appears in both Irish and English on the passport's information page, as opposed to the town or city of birth on the United Kingdom passport. The [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] still uses the counties as its primary means of organisation and fields representative teams of each [[GAA county]]. The original system of [[License plates of Northern Ireland|car registration numbers]] largely based on counties remains in use. In 2000, the [[Big Number Change#Northern Ireland|telephone numbering system]] was restructured into an 8-digit scheme with (except for Belfast) the first digit approximately reflecting the county.

The county boundaries still appear on Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Maps and the Philip's Street Atlases, among others. With their decline in official use, there is often confusion surrounding towns and cities which lie near county boundaries, such as Belfast and [[Lisburn]], which are split between counties Down and Antrim (the majorities of both cities, however, are in Antrim).

In March 2018, ''The Sunday Times'' published its list of Best Places to Live in Britain, including the following places in Northern Ireland: [[Ballyhackamore]] near Belfast (overall best for Northern Ireland); Holywood, County Down; Newcastle, County Down; Portrush, County Antrim; Strangford, County Down.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.irishpost.com/life-style/five-places-in-northern-ireland-included-in-best-places-to-live-in-britain-list-151651 |title=Five places in Northern Ireland included in Best Places to Live in Britain list – The Irish Post |first=Ryan |last=Price |access-date=5 August 2018 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413211215/https://www.irishpost.com/life-style/five-places-in-northern-ireland-included-in-best-places-to-live-in-britain-list-151651 |url-status=live}}</ref>