b'4.4 Kildare in profileThe population of Kildare at 222,504, 8ranks as the County Kildare with an area of 1695 sq.km is located5th highest population in the state at 4.7% of the total in the mid-east of Ireland.Kildare is bordered by sixpopulation. The population increased significantly by counties, Dublin and Wicklow to the East, Meath to the64.8% in the twenty years between 1996 and 2016. North, Laois and Offaly to the West and Carlow to theKildare also has the highest rate of young people ages South. The county is relatively flat in its topography0-24 years in the State (81,517) which represents save for a number of hills dispersed throughout with36.6% of the countys population.the highest points to the east at the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. Large areas of forestry andThe settlement pattern in County Kildare shows that bogland are widespread throughout the county with there are higher population densities in thean estimated 32% of land in Kildare considered metropolitan north east, as a result of employmentmarginal. The Bog of Allen, the largest raised peat opportunities in the Dublin region, and in and around bog in Ireland covers over 950 square kilometres tothe towns of Naas, Newbridge, Kildare, Athy, Kilcullen the west of the county.and Monasterevin. Newbridge, Naas, Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth all have populations of over 10,000 persons.8 CSO 201628'