Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland. Dublin is derived from the Irish 'Dubh Linn', meaning "black pool".
It is situated at the mouth of the River Liffey, which cuts through the lowlands and flows into the Irish Sea. In
the south, Dublin is bordered by a low mountain range. The surrounding counties to the north and west of Dublin are
surrounded by flat farmland. Traditionally, a north versus south division has existed in Dublin with the River Liffey
as the dividing line. The Northside is generally seen as working-class, while the Southside is seen as middle and
upper middle class.
Dublin has more green spaces per square kilometre than any other European capital city, and
97% of city residents live within 300 metres of a park. The city council provides 2.96 hectares (7.3 acres) of public
green space per 1,000 people and 255 playing fields. The council also plants around 5,000 trees annually and manages
over 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of parks.
The city is host to Croke Park and with a capacity of 82,300, it is the fourth largest stadium in Europe after
Barcelona’s Nou Camp, Wembley in London, and the San Siro in Milan. Lansdowne Road stadium, was the venue for home
games of both the Irish Rugby Union Team and the Republic of Ireland national football team and was replaced by the
brand new 50,000 all-seater Aviva Stadium, which opened in May 2010. The Aviva Stadium will host the 2011 Europa
League Final on 18th May 2011.
