Ireland and the US have long been friends, even family for many.
The link across the Atlantic Ocean has now spanned centuries, generations of family members, and various facets of culture and individuals.
The strong bonds between both countries is all the more remarkable when you consider the size differences. Ireland is a relative spec in the ocean compared to one US state, never mind the entire country.
How Big is Ireland Compared to US?
The short answer, which we bet you already know, is that Ireland is absolutely TINY in comparison to the US.
It isn’t even a competition, but if you want the delve into the details read on…
Ireland v US: Landmass
As we highlighted recently, the difference in landmass size is incredible.
Ireland is 84,421km2.
The US is 9.834 million km2.
Or if you want to put it another way, the US is 116 times bigger than the island of Ireland.
If you’ve ever travelled to the Emerald Isle, or live here and have travelled to the US, then this will come as no surprise.
In Ireland, journeys of 1 hour are considered long. In the US people think nothing of driving or travelling across states and coast to coast in journeys that take hours or even days depending on the mode of transport.
In terms of individual state comparisons, Ireland is slightly larger than the state of Maine and slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina.
If you’re interested in comparing Ireland to Texas, click here.
Ireland v US: Population
Now that we’ve clarified just how small Ireland is as a landmass and island, what about population size?
How many people live in Ireland compared to the US?
The difference, as you can probably guess, is stark!
In Ireland, approximately 5 million people live in the Republic of Ireland and 1.8 million people live in Northern Ireland, meaning a grand total of approximately 6.8 million people.
In the United States current figures put the population at just under 330 million!
In other words, there are approximately 49 people in the US for every 1 Irish person. Quite the difference and yet another example of the size and scale of the US when compared with the Emerald Isle.
Irish in America
The connection between both countries is no surprise.
For centuries Irish have travelled across the Atlantic to what was then considered the New World. This peaked post-1820, and specifically during and after the Irish Famine, when an estimated 6 million Irish souls made the journey.
As a result, up to 30 million (or approximately 10%) Americans claim Irish heritage even today, making the Irish diaspora in America the biggest globally.
With that in mind we can see the relationship continuing to flourish and grow in the years to come. Here’s hoping!