The island of Ireland comprises two political jurisdictions:

• The sovereign state called Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, which occupies about five-sixths of the island. Its capital is Dublin.
• Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which lies in the northeast of the island. Its capital is Belfast.

Ireland is a parliamentary, representative democratic republic and a member state of the European Union. While the head of state is the popularly elected President of Ireland, this is a largely ceremonial position with real political power being vested in the indirectly elected Taoiseach (prime minister) who is the head of the government.