Map of Ireland | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Western Europe, in the North Atlantic Ocean, across the Irish Sea from Great Britain

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 70,280 km²
Land: 68,890 km²

Land boundaries: total 360 km, UK 360 km

Coastline: 1,448 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

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

Land use
Arable land: 14%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 71%
Forest and woodland: 5%
Other: 10%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: strategic location on major air and sea routes between North American and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 60 miles of Dublin


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Population: 3,539,296 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 0.3% (1994 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Celtic, English

Languages: Irish (Gaelic), spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard, English is the language generally used

Religions: Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.3% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 14.21 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 8.59 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.67 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.4 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.68 years
Male: 72.85 years
Female: 78.68 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.99 children born/woman (1994 est.)

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: age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)
Total population: 98%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form:

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: Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Constitution: 29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebecite

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: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990); election last held 9 November 1990 (next to be held November 1997); results - Mary Bourke ROBINSON 52.8%, Brian LENIHAN 47.2%
Head of government: Prime Minister Albert REYNOLDS (since 11 February 1992)

Legislative branch: Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda Siochana)
Senate Seanad Eireann: elections last held on NA February 1992 (next to be held February 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 26, Fine Gael 16, Labor 9, Progressive Democrats 2, Democratic Left 1, independents 6
House of Representatives Dail Eireann: elections last held on 25 November 1992 (next to be held by June 1995); results - Fianna Fail 39.1%, Fine Gael 24.5%, Labor Party 19.3%, Progressive Democrats 4.7%, Democratic Left 2.8%, Sinn Fein 1.6%, Workers' Party 0.7%, independents 5.9%; seats - (166 total) Fianna Fail 68, Fine Gael 45, Labor Party 33, Progressive Democrats 10, Democratic Left 4, Greens 1, independents 5

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, COCOM (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OECD, ONUSAL, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UNPROFRO, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jean Kennedy SMITH
From the us chancery: 2,234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [353] (1) 6,687,122
From the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
From the us embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us FAX: [353] (1) 6,689,946

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy is small and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor force. Since 1987, real GDP growth, led by exports, has averaged 4% annually. Over the same period, inflation has fallen sharply and chronic trade deficits have been transformed into annual surpluses. Unemployment remains a serious problem, however, and job creation is the main focus of government policy. To ease unemployment, Dublin aggressively courts foreign investors and recently created a new industrial development agency to aid small indigenous firms. Government assistance is constrained by Dublin's continuing deficit reduction measures.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.7% (1993)

Real gdp per capita: $13,100 (1993)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 8% of GDP and 13% 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: 11.5% (1992; accounts for 37% of GDP

Labor force: 1.37 million
By occupation services: 57.0%
By occupation manufacturing and construction: 28%
By occupation agriculture forestry and fishing: 13.5%
By occupation energy and mining: 1.5% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 16% (1994 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$16 billion

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: $28.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodities: chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products
Partners: EC 75% (UK 32%, Germany 13%, France 10%), US 9%

Imports: $23.3 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
Commodities: food, animal feed, data processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing
Partners: EC 66% (UK 41%, Germany 8%, Netherlands 4%), US 15%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $17.6 billion (1992)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Irish pounds (#Ir) per US$1 - 0.6978 (January 1994), 0.6816 (1993), 0.5864 (1992), 0.6190 (1991), 0.6030 (1990), 0.7472 (1989)


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Electricity
Capacity: 5,000,000 kW
Production: 14.5 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 4,120 kWh (1992)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $500 million, 1.3% of GDP (1993)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 44
Usable: 42
With permanentsurface runways: 14
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 2
With runways 1220-2439 m: 7

Heliports

Pipelines: natural gas 225 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: limited for commercial traffic

Merchant marine: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 139,278 GRT/173,325 DWT, bulk 4, cargo 32, chemical tanker 2, container 4, oil tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 3

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: 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: transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands