Ireland

Ireland 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 360 km, U.K. 360 km

Coastline

1,448 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Northern Ireland question with the U.K.; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the U.K. (Ireland and the U.K. have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)

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
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohill 1,041 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

NA

Environment

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

PEOPLE

Population

3,566,833 (July 1996 est.)
3,550,448 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

23% (male 424,558; female 402,062) (July 1996 est.)
24% (male 440,468; female 415,640) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

65% (male 1,175,383; female 1,157,960) (July 1996 est.)
64% (male 1,155,823; female 1,125,638) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

12% (male 173,150; female 233,720) (July 1996 est.) 12% (male 175,781; female 237,098) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

-0.22% (1996 est.)
0.33% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

13.22 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
14.04 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

8.93 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
8.48 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-6.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-2.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.99 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.83 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.95 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

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

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1981 est.)

Labor Force

1.37 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

EI

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

Independence

6 December 1921 (from U.K.)

National Holiday

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Constitution

29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebescite

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

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas)

Senate (Seanad Eireann)

Elections last held NA February 1992 (next to be held NA 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 November 1997); 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

Democratic Left, Proinsias DE ROSSA; Fianna Fail, Bertie AHERN; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY; The Workers' Party, Marion DONNELLY; Green Alliance, Bronwen MAHER

Note: Prime Minister BRUTON heads a three-party coalition consisting of the Fine Gael, the Labor Party, and the Democratic Left

Member of

Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIH, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

National Anthem

Flag

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

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. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Ireland has substantially reduced its external debt since 1987, to 40% of GDP in 1994. 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.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $54.6 billion (1995 est.), $49.8 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

7% (1995 est.)
5.5% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$15,400 (1995 est.)
$14,060 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

2.8% (1995 est.)
2.7% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

13.5% (1995 est.)
16% (1994 est.)

Budget

Exports

$29.9 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$25.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$19.5 billion (1994 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 8.9% (1995 est.), 8.5% (1994 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 10% of GDP; 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

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to the U.K. and Netherlands

Economic Aid

Currency

1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence

Exchange Rates

Irish pounds (#Ir) per US$1 - 0.6315 (January 1996), 0.6235 (1995), 0.6676 (1994), 0.6816 (1993), 0.5864 (1992), 0.6190 (1991), 0.6030 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

Limited for commercial traffic

Pipelines

Natural gas 225 km

Ports

Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross, Waterford

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

900,000 telephones; modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda Siochana)

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 939,237; males fit for military service 761,048; males reach military age (17) annually 35,904 (1995 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $618 million, 1.3% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas