| Background: |
A failed 1916
Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of
guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from
the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six northern
counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. In 1948
Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined
the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have
sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have
cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace
settlement for Northern Ireland, approved in 1998, was
implemented the following year. |
| Location: |
Western Europe,
occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North
Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
53 00 N, 8 00 W |
| Area: |
total:
70,280 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger
than West Virginia |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
360 km
border countries: UK 360 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental
shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
temperate
maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters,
cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the
time |
| Terrain: |
mostly level to
rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low
mountains; sea cliffs on west coast |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m |
| Natural
resources: |
zinc, lead,
natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite,
peat, silver |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
13%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 68%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 14% (1993 est.) |
| Environment
- current issues: |
water pollution,
especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Marine Life
Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
strategic
location on major air and sea routes between North America
and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides
within 97 km of Dublin |
| Population: |
3,840,838 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
21.57% (male 425,328; female 403,204)
15-64 years: 67.08% (male 1,290,002; female
1,286,312)
65 years and over: 11.35% (male 188,868; female
247,124) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.12% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
14.57
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.07 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
4.69 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
5.53 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 76.99 years
male: 74.23 years
female: 79.93 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.9 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.1% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
2,200 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
less than 100
(1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Celtic, English |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998) |
| Languages: |
English is the
language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in
areas located along the western seaboard |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1981 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
26 counties;
Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry,
Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth,
Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary,
Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow |
| Independence: |
6 December 1921
(from UK by treaty) |
| National
holiday: |
Saint Patrick's
Day, 17 March |
| Constitution: |
29 December 1937;
adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite |
| Legal
system: |
based on English
common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts;
judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November
1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN
(since 26 June 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval
of the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote
for a seven-year term; election last held 31 October 1997
(next to be held NA November 2004); prime minister nominated
by the House of Representatives and appointed by the
president
election results: Mary MCALEESE elected
president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary
BANOTTI 29.6%
note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and
the Progressive Democrats |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad
Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the universities and from
candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are
nominated by the prime minister; members serve five-year
terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166
seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held NA August 1997
(next to be held NA 2002); House of Representatives - last
held 6 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 29, Fine Gael 16,
Labor Party 4, Progressive Democrats 4, others 7; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19,
Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Green Alliance
2, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7; note - seats by party in the
House of Representatives as of 1 January 2001 were as
follows: Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 54, Labor Party 21,
Progressive Democrats 4, Green Alliance 2, Socialist Party
1, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court
(judges appointed by the president on the advice of the
prime minister and cabinet) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Democratic Left [Proinsias
DE ROSSA]; Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Michael
NOONAN]; Green Party [Mary BOWERS]; Labor Party [Ruairi
QUINN]; Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY]; Sinn Fein
[Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers'
Party [Tom FRENCH] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
Australia Group,
BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer),
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New
York, and San Francisco |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Michael J. SULLIVAN
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [353] (1) 668-7122/668-8777
FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal
vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange;
similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and
has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and
green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter
and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red |
| Economy
- overview: |
Ireland is a
small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging
a robust 9% in 1995-2000. Agriculture, once the most
important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts
for 38% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 28% of
the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine
for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting
from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both
construction and business investment. Over the past decade,
the Irish government has implemented a series of national
economic programs designed to curb inflation, reduce
government spending, increase labor force skills, and
promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in launching the
euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU
nations. The Irish economy is in danger of overheating, with
the tight labor market driving up wage demands and
inflation. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $81.9 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
9.9% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $21,600 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
4%
industry: 38%
services: 58% (1999) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
10% (1997 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2%
highest 10%: 27.3% (1997) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
5.6% (2000) |
| Labor
force: |
1.82 million
(2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 64%,
industry 28%, agriculture 8% (2000 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
4.1% (2000) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$25.7 billion
expenditures: $19.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $2 billion (2000) |
| Industries: |
food products,
brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal;
software |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
14% (2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
19.542 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
94.42%
hydro: 4.23%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.35% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
18.414 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
50 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
290 million kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
turnips, barley,
potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products |
| Exports: |
$73.5 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live
animals, animal products |
| Exports
- partners: |
EU 59% (UK 19%,
Germany 9%, France 7%), US 20% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$45.7 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
data processing
equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals;
petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing |
| Imports
- partners: |
EU 54% (UK 29%,
Germany 6%, France 5%), US 18%, Japan 5%, Singapore 4%
(2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$11 billion
(1998) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $245 million
(2000) |
| Currency: |
Irish pound (IEP);
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the
euro as a common currency that is now being used by
financial institutions in Ireland at a fixed rate of
0.787564 Irish pounds per euro and will replace the local
currency for all transactions in 2002 |
| Exchange
rates: |
Irish pounds per
US dollar - 1.0658 (January 2001), 1.0823 (2000), 0.9374
(1999), 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997), 0.6248 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
1.59 million
(2001) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
2 million (2001) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: modern digital system using cable and
microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 9, FM 106,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios: |
2.55 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
4 (many low-power
repeaters) (2001) |
| Televisions: |
1.82 million
(2001) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ie |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
22 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
1 million (2001) |
| Railways: |
total:
1,947 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km
electrified; 485 km double track) (1998) |
| Highways: |
total:
92,500 km
paved: 87,043 km (including 115 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 5,457 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
700 km (limited
facilities for commercial traffic) (1998) |
| Pipelines: |
natural gas 7,592
km (transmission 1,158 km; distribution 6,434 km) (2000) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Arklow, Cork,
Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross,
Waterford |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 115,554 GRT/135,391
DWT
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 22, container 2,
short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
17
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
27
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army (includes
Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda
Siochana) |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
17 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 1,004,469 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 809,808 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
32,287 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$738 million
(2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
0.75% (2001 est.) |
| Disputes
- international: |
Northern Ireland
issue with the UK (historic peace agreement signed 10 April
1998); disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and the UK over the
Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment
point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the
UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs;
minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined
for Western Europe |
|
