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County of the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Leinster, between Galway and Roscommon in the west and Kildare in the east; county town Tullamore; area 2,000 sq km/772 sq mi; population (2002) 63,700. It is low-lying, with part of the Bog of Allen to the north. It shares its highest point, Arderin (527 m/729 ft), with Co. Laois.

Features include the rivers Shannon (along the western boundary), Brosna, Clodagh, and Broughill, and the Slieve Bloom Mountains in the southeast. The chief towns are Tullamore, Birr, Banagher, and Edenderry. Peat is used to fuel power stations. Agricultural products include oats, barley, and wheat; cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry are bred. The area is noted for ecclesiastical remains, the most extensive and important of which is Clonmacnois, founded by St Ciarán in AD 548, and once the most significant theological centre and centre of learning in Ireland; many of the high kings of Connaught and Tara are buried here, and it is a site of pilgrimage.

Green represents agriculture. Red recalls the struggle for independence. Black stands for the Zambian people. Orange symbolizes Zambia's mineral wealth, particularly the major deposits of copper. Effective date: 24 October 1964. >>