Introduction

 
Background:  Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the United Kingdom. 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, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is being implemented with some difficulties.

 

Geography

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

 

Map references:       Europe

 

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

 

Coastline:       1,448 km

 

Maritime claims:       territorial sea: 12 nm; exclusive fishing zone: 200 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:    natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite

 

Land use:       arable land: 15.2%; permanent crops: 0.03%; other: 84.77% (2001)

 

Irrigated land:           NA sq km

 

Natural hazards:        NA

 

Environment - current issues:          water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff

 

Environment - international agreements:   party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, 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 100 km of Dublin

 

People

Population:     4,015,676 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure:            0-14 years: 20.9% (male 434,225/female 406,730); 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 1,358,086/female 1,354,148); 65 years and over: 11.5% (male 203,614/female 258,873) (2005 est.)

 

Median age:   total: 33.7 years; male: 32.9 years; female: 34.49 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate:        1.16% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate:      14.47 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate:    7.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate:   4.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio:       at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female; total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 5.39 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 5.91 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 4.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth:      total population: 77.56 years; male: 74.95 years; female: 80.34 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate:     1.87 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,800 (2001 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - deaths:  less than 100 (2003 est.)

 

Nationality:    noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural); adjective: Irish

 

Ethnic groups:            Celtic, English

 

Religions:       Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census)

 

Languages:    English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (official) (Gaelic or Gaeilge) 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%

 

Government

 

Country name:           conventional long form: none; conventional short form: Ireland; local long form: none local short form: Eire

 

Government type:     republic

 

Capital:          Dublin

 

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; note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province

 

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 scheduled for October 2011); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to a second term when no other candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election; 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 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007); election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive Democrats 4, independents and others 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party 3.8%, others 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5, others 14

 

Judicial branch:         Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet)

 

Economy

 

Economy - overview: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 7% in 1995-2004. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and 29% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Per capita GDP is 10% above that of the four big European economies and the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations.

 

GDP:  purchasing power parity - $126.4 billion (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate:        5.1% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita:      purchasing power parity - $31,900 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 5%; industry: 46%; services: 49% (2002 est.)

 

Labor force:   1.92 million (2004 est.)

 

Labor force - by occupation:  agriculture 8%, industry 29%, services 63% (2002 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: 4.3% (2004 est.)

 

Population below poverty line:         10% (1997 est.)

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2%; highest 10%: 27.3% (1997)

 

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.9 (1987)

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices):     2.2% (2004 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed):     23.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Budget:          revenues: $62.51 billion ; expenditures: $63.52 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.5 billion (2004 est.)

 

Public debt:    31.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Agriculture - products:          turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products

 

Industries:      steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, ship construction and refurbishment; glass and crystal; software, tourism

 

Industrial production growth rate:   7% (2004 est.)

 

Electricity - production:        22.88 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption:     21.78 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 100 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 600 million kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production:        0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption:      174,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports:  27,450 bbl/day (2001)

 

Oil - imports:  178,600 bbl/day (2001)

 

Oil - proved reserves:           0 bbl (1 January 2002)

 

Natural gas - production:      815 million cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - consumption:  4.199 billion cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - exports:           0 cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - imports:           3.384 billion cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - proved reserves:        9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

 

Current account balance:     $-2.881 billion (2004 est.)

 

Exports:         $103.8 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Exports - commodities:         machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products

 

Exports - partners:    US 20.2%, UK 17.5%, Belgium 14.8%, Germany 7.5%, France 5.9%, Italy 4.5%, Netherlands 4.4% (2004)

 

Imports:         $60.65 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Imports - commodities:         data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

 

Imports - partners:    UK 35.2%, US 13.5%, Germany 8.9%, France 4.3%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)

 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:     $4.152 billion (2003)

 

Debt - external:         $11 billion (1998)

 

Economic aid - donor:           ODA, $283 million (2001)

 

Currency (code):       euro (EUR); note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

 

Exchange rates:        euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

 

Fiscal year:    calendar year

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use:        1.955 million (2003)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular:           3.4 million (2003)

 

Telephone system:    general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay; domestic: microwave radio relay; international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)