County Londonderry

County Londonderry, also known as County Derry (Irish: Contae Dhoire, Ulster Scots: Coontie Lunnonderrie), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,074 km² (801 sq mi) and has a population of about 247,132. It is also one of the nine (of a total of thirty-two) traditional counties of Ireland, lying within the historic province of Ulster.

Since 1981, it has become one of four counties in Northern Ireland that has a Catholic majority (55.56% according to the 2001 Census), with 57% of the Catholic population residing within Derry City Council. The county flower is the Purple Saxifrage.

Name

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire (Modern Irish Doire), meaning "oak-grove" or "oak-wood".

As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form "Londonderry" generally preferred by unionists and "Derry" by nationalists.

Most British authorities use the name "Londonderry", while "Derry" is used by the Republic of Ireland.