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 UK. In 1949 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 is gradually being implemented despite some difficulties. In 2006 the Irish and British governments developed and began to implement the St. Andrews Agreement building on the Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.

Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N 8 00 W

Area
Rank: 120
Comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia

Coastline: 1448 km

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

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

Irrigated land: NA

Total renewable water resources: 46.8 km³ (2003)

Natural hazards: NA

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

Population: 4,722,028 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 119
Growth rate: 1.112% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 106
Below poverty line: 5.5% (2009)

Ethnic groups: Irish 87.4% other white 7.5% Asian 1.3% black 1.1% mixed 1.1% unspecified 1.6% (2006 census)

Languages: English (official the language generally used) Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official spoken mainly in areas along the western coast)

Religions: Roman Catholic 87.4% Church of Ireland 2.9% other Christian 1.9% other 2.1% unspecified 1.5% none 4.2% (2006 census)

Population growth rate: 1.112% (2012 est.)
Rank: 106

Birth rate: 15.81 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 128

Death rate: 6.38 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 154

Net migration rate: 1.69 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 43

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

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 202

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 26

Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 131

Physicians density: 3.187 physicians/1000 population (2008)

Hospital bed density: 5.17 beds/1000 population (2007)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 96
People living with hivaids: 6,900 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 112
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 115

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 13% (2002)
Rank: 44

Education expenditures: 4.9% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 62

Government type: republic parliamentary democracy

Administrative divisions: 29 counties and 5 cities*; Carlow Cavan Clare Cork Cork* Donegal Dublin* Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Fingal Galway Galway* Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Limerick* Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan North Tipperary Offaly Roscommon Sligo South Dublin South Tipperary Waterford Waterford* Westmeath Wexford Wicklow

Independence: 6 December 1921 (from the UK by treaty)

National holiday: Saint Patrick's Day 17 March

Constitution: adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937

Legal system: common law system based on the English model but substantially modified by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats; 49 members 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 lower house of Parliament or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Court of Final Appeal) (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet); Courts of First Instance (includes High Court)

Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail [Michael MARTIN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [Eamon RYAN]; Labor Party [Eamon GILMORE]; New Vision; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Michael FINNEGAN]; United Left Alliance

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) Australia Group BIS CD CE EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EMU ESA EU FAO FATF IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD (partners) IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINURSO MONUSCO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA PFP UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNITAR UNOCI UNRWA UNTSO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) white and orange; officially the flag colors have no meaning but a common interpretation is that the green represents the Irish nationalist (Gaelic) tradition of Ireland; orange represents the Orange tradition (minority supporters of William of Orange); white symbolizes peace (or a lasting truce) between the green and the orange

National symbols: harp

Economy overview: Ireland is a small modern trade-dependent economy. Ireland was among the initial group of 12 EU nations that began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002. GDP growth averaged 6% in 1995-2007 but economic activity has dropped sharply since the onset of the world financial crisis with GDP falling by over 3% in 2008 nearly 7% in 2009 and less than 1% in 2010. Ireland entered into a recession in 2008 for the first time in more than a decade with the subsequent collapse of its domestic property and construction markets. Property prices rose more rapidly in Ireland in the decade up to 2007 than in any other developed economy. Since their 2007 peak average house prices have fallen 47%. In the wake of the collapse of the construction sector and the downturn in consumer spending and business investment the export sector dominated by foreign multinationals has become a key component of Ireland's economy. Agriculture once the most important sector is now dwarfed by industry and services. In 2008 the COWEN government moved to guarantee all bank deposits recapitalize the banking system and establish partly-public venture capital funds in response to the country's economic downturn. In 2009 in continued efforts to stabilize the banking sector the Irish Government established the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) to acquire problem commercial property and development loans from Irish banks. Faced with sharply reduced revenues and a burgeoning budget deficit the Irish Government introduced the first in a series of draconian budgets in 2009. In addition to across-the-board cuts in spending the 2009 budget included wage reductions for all public servants. These measures were not sufficient. In 2010 the budget deficit reached 32.4% of GDP - the world's largest deficit as a percentage of GDP - because of additional government support for the banking sector. In late 2010 the former COWEN Government agreed to a $112 billion loan package from the EU and IMF to help Dublin further increase the capitalization of its banking sector and avoid defaulting on its sovereign debt. Since entering office in March 2011 the KENNY government has intensified austerity measures to try to meet the deficit targets under Ireland's EU-IMF program. Ireland achieved moderate growth of 1.4% in 2011 and cut the budget deficit to 9.1% of GDP. Although the recovery slowed in 2012 because of weaker EU demand for Irish exports Dublin managed to trim the deficit to about 8.5% of GDP.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 57

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 172

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 23

Agriculture products: barley potatoes wheat; beef dairy products

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2011 est.)
Rank: 107

Labor force: 2.104 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 119

Unemployment rate: 14.4% (2011 est.)
Rank: 142

Population below poverty line: 5.5% (2009)

Distribution of family income gini index: 35.9 (1987)
Rank: 92

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -8.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 197

Taxes and other revenues: 35% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 70

Public debt: 108.2% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 12

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.6% (2011 est.)
Rank: 17

Central bank discount rate: 1.75% (31 December 2010)
Rank: 122

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 3.81% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 171

Stock of narrow money: $118.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 30

Stock of broad money: $260 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 34

Stock of domestic credit: $983.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 17

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 56

Current account balance: $2.484 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 33

Exports: $118.1 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 35
Commodities: machinery and equipment computers chemicals medical devices pharmaceuticals; food products animal products
Partners: US 22.3% UK 16.1% Belgium 15.5% Germany 7% France 5.7% Switzerland 4.2% (2011)

Imports: $67.18 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 49
Commodities: data processing equipment other machinery and equipment chemicals petroleum and petroleum products textiles clothing
Partners: UK 39.8% US 13% Germany 7.8% Netherlands 5.8% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.115 billion (2010 est.)
Rank: 125

Debt external: $2.283 trillion (31 December 2010)
Rank: 10

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $243.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 20

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $324.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 18

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 26.35 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 68
Consumption: 26.1 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 66
Exports: 242 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 68
Imports: 732 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 66
Installed generating capacity: 7.401 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 65
Generation sources fossil fuels: 75.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 97
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 82
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 3.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 128
Generation sources other renewable sources: 17.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 9

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 129
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 106
Crude oil imports: 53,560 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 55
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 127

Refined petroleum
Products production: 55,340 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products production rank: 82
Products consumption: 144,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 70
Products exports: 17,480 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 76
Products imports: 166,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products imports rank: 34

Natural gas
Production: 346 million m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 73
Consumption: 4.981 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 59
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 190
Imports: 4.633 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 35
Proven reserves: 9.911 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 80

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 40.48 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 70

Telephones
Main lines in use: 2.047 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 57
Mobile cellular: 4.906 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 105

Broadcast media: publicly-owned broadcaster Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE) operates 2 TV stations; commercial TV stations are available; about 75% of households utilize multi-channel satellite and TV services that provide access to a wide range of stations; RTE operates 4 national radio stations and has launched digital audio broadcasts on several stations; a number of commercial broadcast stations operate at the national regional and local levels (2007)

Internet
Country code: .ie
Hosts: 1.387 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 40
Users: 3.042 million (2009)
Users rank: 67

Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 133

Military service age and obligation: 17-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service); enlistees 16 years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions; 17-35 years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces (RDF); maximum obligation 12 years (5 years IDF 7 years RDF); EU citizenship or 5-year residence in Ireland required (2010)

Airports: 39 (2012)
Rank: 107

Pipelines: gas 1888 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 54

Roadways
Rank: 45

Waterways: 956 km (pleasure craft only) (2010)
Rank: 68

Merchant marine
Rank: 84

Ports and terminals: Cork Dublin Shannon Foynes Waterford

Disputes international: Ireland Iceland and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 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; increasing consumption of South American cocaine; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change trusts and shell companies involving the offshore fina