Map of Ireland | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: Growing Irish nationalism resulted in independence from the United Kingdom in 1921, with six largely Protestant northern counties remaining within the UK. After World War II bloody strife between Catholics and Protestants over the status of Northern Ireland cost thousands of lives.


top of page


Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: 360 km with UK

Coastline: 1,448 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 3 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

Elevation

Natural resources: zinc, lead, natural gas, crude oil, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver

Land use: 14% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 71% meadows and pastures; 5% forest and woodland; 10% other

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


top of page


Population: 3,550,352 (July 1989), growth rate 0.2% (1989)

Nationality: noun - Irishman(men), Irish (collective pl.; adjective - Irish

Ethnic groups: Celtic, with English minority

Languages: Irish (Gaelic) and English; English is the language generally used, with Gaelic spoken in a few areas, mostly along the western seaboard

Religions: 94% Roman Catholic, 4% Anglican, 2% other

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 16 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1000 live births (1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1989)

Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1989)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 99%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Ireland

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 December 1921 (from UK)

National holiday: St. Patrick's Day, 17 March

Constitution: 29 December 1937; Constitution adopted 1937

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Executive branch: Chief of State - President Dr. Patrick J. HILLERY (since 3 December 1976; Head of Government - Prime Minister Charles J. HAUGHEY (since 12 July 1989, the fourth time elected as prime minister)

Legislative branch: Army, Naval Service, Army Air Corps

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CCC, Council of Europe, EC, EMS, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICES, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC - International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Padraic N. MACKERNAN; Chancery at 2,234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 462-3,939; there are Irish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco; US - Ambassador Margaret M. O. HECKLER; Embassy at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin; telephone Õ353å (1) 688,777

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of the Ivory Coast 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: The economy is small, open, and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 35% of GNP and about 80% of exports and employs 20% of the labor force. The government has successfully reduced the rate of inflation from double-digit figures in the late 1970s to about 2% in 1988. In 1987, after years of deficits, the balance of payments was brought into the black. Unemployment, however, is a serious problem. A 1988 unemployment rate of 18.5% placed Ireland second only to Spain as the country with the worst jobless record in Western Europe.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: livestock and dairy products, turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; 85% self-sufficient; food shortages - grains, fruits, vegetables

Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal

Industrial production growth rate: 5.6% (1988)

Labor force:

Unemployment rate: 18.5% (1988)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $12.3 billion; expenditures $14.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.1 billion (1988 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $17.7 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Commodities: live animals, animal products, chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery
Partners: EC 74% (UK 34%, FRG 11%, France 9%), US 8%

Imports: $14.6 billion (c.i.f., 1988)
Commodities: food, animal feed, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing
Partners: EC 66% (UK 42%, FRG 8%, France 4%), US 17%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $16.4 billion (1987)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Irish pounds (LIr) per US$1 - 0.6856 (January 1989), 0.6553 (1988), 0.6720 (1987), 0.7454 (1986), 0.9384 (1985)


top of page


Electricity
Capacity: 4,647,000 kW capacity; 13,794 million kWh produced, 3,890 kWh per capita (1988)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $169 million, 4.3% of central government budget (1987 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 40 total, 37 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: natural gas, 225 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: limited for commercial traffic

Merchant marine: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 115,779 GRT/138,411 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 28 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 3 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 5 bulk

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: maritime boundary with the UK; Northern Ireland question with the UK; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs