The Irish Sea is a body of water covering 46,007 square kilometres that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain.
Bounded by Scotland to the north, England to the east, Wales to the southeast, and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to the west, the Irish Sea connects to the Celtic Sea in the south via St George’s Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north through the North Channel. Its largest island is Anglesey in North Wales, followed by the Isle of Man. The sea plays a major role in regional trade and transport, with more than 12 million passengers and 17 million tonnes of goods moving between Great Britain and Ireland each year. Its waters also support commercial fishing and energy generation, including offshore wind farms and coastal nuclear power stations. The term Manx Sea is occasionally used, reflecting the names given to these waters in Welsh (Môr Manaw), Irish (Muir Meann), Manx (Mooir Vannin) and Scottish Gaelic (Muir Mhanainn).
