Ballina (Irish: Béal an Átha) is the largest town in County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley, with the Ox Mountain range to the east and the Nephin Beg Mountains to the west. Ballina is in north Mayo, in the province of Connacht. The name is derived from Béal an Átha (mouth of the ford) or Béal Átha an Fheadha in Irish. According to the 2001 census, Ballina is the largest town at 1,451 hectares, compared to Castlebar at 1,099 hectares. The recorded population of Ballina's urban area is 9,478. Figures released by the Central Statistics Office in September 2007 showed that Ballina had the highest rate of unemployment amongst large towns in the Republic of Ireland. Some 15.8% of Ballina's population was out of work when the 2006 census was taken.