Statistical information Ireland 1990

Ireland in the World
top of pageBackground: 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 pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaLand boundaries: 360 km with UK
Coastline: 1,448 km
Maritime claims: Continental shelf:no precise definition;
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
ElevationNatural 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 landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 3,500,212 (July 1990), growth rate -0.4% (1990)
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 profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 15 births/1000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1000 population (1990)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: deforestation
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1990)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 99%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry 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 areasIndependence: 6 December 1921 (from UK)
National holiday: St. Patrick's Day, 17 March
Constitution: 29 December 1937; 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 participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal at 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: Supreme Court
Political parties and leadersInternational 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 representationIn 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 Richard A. MOORE; Embassy at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin; telephone p353o (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 symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy 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 4% in 1989. In 1987, after years of deficits, the balance of payments was brought into the black. Unemployment, however, is a serious problem. A 1989 unemployment rate of 17.7% placed Ireland along with Spain as the countries with the worst jobless records in Western Europe.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: accounts for 11% of GNP and 14.8% of the labor force; principal crops--turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; livestock--meat and dairy products; 85% self-sufficient in food; food shortages include bread grain, fruits, vegetables
Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal
Industrial production growth rate: 9.5% (1989 est.)
Labor force:
1,310,000; 57.3%
services, 19.1% manufacturing and construction, 14.8% agriculture, forestry, and fishing (1988)
Unemployment rate: 17.7% (1989)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $10.9 billion; expenditures $11.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.5 billion (1989)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $20.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989)
Commodities: live animals, animal products, chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery
Partners: EC 74% (UK 35%, FRG 11%, France 9%), US 8%
Imports: $17.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989)
Commodities: food, animal feed, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing
Partners: EC 66% (UK 42%, FRG 9%, France 4%), US 16%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $16.1 billion (1988)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Irish pounds (LIr) per US$1--0.6399 (January 1990), 0.7047 (1989), 0.6553 (1988), 0.6720 (1987), 0.7454 (1986), 0.9384 (1985)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 4,957,000 kW capacity; 14,480 million kWh produced, 4,080 kWh per capita (1989)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp: 1.6% of GDP, or $500 million (1989 est.)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 40 total, 37 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: natural gas, 225 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: limited for commercial traffic
Merchant marine: 67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 113,569 GRT/139,681 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 29 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 container, 23 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 5 bulk
Ports and terminalsIreland - Transnational issues 1990
top of pageDisputes 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 personsIllicit drugs