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Ireland
Background:
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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.
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Location:
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Western Europe, occupying
five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west
of Great Britain
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Geographic coordinates:
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53 00 N, 8 00 W
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total: 70,273
sq km
19
land:
68,883 sq km
water:
1,390 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than West
Virginia
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Land boundaries:
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total: 360
km
border countries:
UK 360 km
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Coastline:
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1,448 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12
nm
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
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Climate:
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Current Weather
temperate maritime;
modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers;
consistently humid; overcast about half the time
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Terrain:
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mostly level to rolling
interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs
on west coast
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic
Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Carrauntoohil 1,041 m
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Natural resources:
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natural gas, peat,
copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite
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Land use:
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arable land: 16.82%
permanent crops:
0.03%
other:
83.15% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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NA
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Total
renewable water resources:
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46.8 cu km (2003)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 1.18
cu km/yr (23%/77%/0%)
per capita:
284 cu m/yr (1994)
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - current issues:
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water pollution,
especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air
Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Marine Life Conservation
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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4,250,163 (July 2010 est.)
25
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 20.9%
(male 460,671/female 429,505)
15-64 years:
66.9% (male 1,421,573/female 1,420,334)
65 years and over:
12.2% (male 232,146/female 285,934) (2010 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 35.3
years
male:
34.5 years
female:
36.1 years (2010 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.102% (2010 est.)
16
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Birth rate:
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14.1 births/1,000
population (2010 est.)
49
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Death rate:
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7.73 deaths/1,000
population (July 2010 est.)
15
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Net migration rate:
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4.66 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2010 est.)
6
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 61%
of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.066
male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.81 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.97
deaths/1,000 live births
89
male:
5.44 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.41
years
country comparison to the world: 47
male:
75.76 years
female:
81.24 years (2010 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.85 children born/woman
(2010 est.)
49
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2% (2007 est.)
01
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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5,500 (2007 est.)
21
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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fewer than 100 (2007
est.)
42
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Nationality:
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noun: Irishman(men),
Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective:
Irish
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Ethnic groups:
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Irish 87.4%, other white
7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 census)
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 87.4%,
Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified
1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 census)
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Languages:
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English (official) is the
language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken
mainly in areas along the western coast
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Literacy:
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definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population:
99%
male:
99%
female:
99% (2003 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 18
years
male:
17 years
female:
18 years (2006)
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Education expenditures:
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4.7% of GDP (2005)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Ireland
local long form:
none
local short form:
Eire
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Government type:
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republic, parliamentary
democracy
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Capital:
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name: Dublin
geographic coordinates:
53 19 N, 6 14 W
time difference:
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time:
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
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Administrative divisions:
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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
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Independence:
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6 December 1921 (from the
UK by treaty)
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National holiday:
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Saint Patrick's Day, 17
March
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Constitution:
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adopted 1 July 1937 by
plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937
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Legal system:
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based on English common
law substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of
legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age;
universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President
Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
head of government:
Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian COWEN (since 7
May 2008)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president with previous
nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of
Representatives
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a seven-year
term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 31 October
1997 (next scheduled for October 2011); note - Mary MCALEESE was
appointed to a second term when no other candidate qualified for the
2004 presidential election; prime minister (taoiseach) nominated by the
House of Representatives and appointed by the president
election results:
Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote -
Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%
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Legislative branch:
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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 House of Representatives or Dail Eireann
(166 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional
representation to serve five-year terms)
elections:
Senate - last held in July 2007 (next to be held
by July 2012); House of Representatives - last held on 24 May 2007 (next
to be held by May 2012)
election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - Fianna Fail 28, Fine Gael 14, Labor Party 6, Progressive
Democrats 2, Green Party 2, Sein Fein 1, independents 7; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.6%, Fine
Gael 27.3%, Labor Party 10.1%, Sinn Fein 6.9%, Green Party 4.7%,
Progressive Democrats 2.7%, other 6.7%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 78,
Fine Gael 51, Labor Party 20, Sinn Fein 4, Green Party 6, Progressive
Democrats 2, independents 4, Speaker of the Dail 1
note:
on 8 November 2008, delegates voted to disband the
Progressive Democrats, and in November 2009 it officially stopped
operating as a political party
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges
appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and
cabinet)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Fianna Fail [Brian
COWEN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [John GORMLEY]; Labor Party
[Eamon GILMORE]; Progressive Democrats or PD [Noel GREALISH] (formerly
dissolved on 20 November 2009); Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party
[Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Michael FINNEGAN]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Families Acting for
Innocent Relatives or FAIR [Brian MCCONNELL] (seek compensation for
victims of violence); Families Against Intimidation and Terror or FAIT
(oppose terrorism); Gaeltacht Civil Rights Campaign (Coiste Cearta
Sibhialta na Gaeilge) or CCSG (encourages the use of the Irish language
and campaigns for greater civil rights in Irish speaking areas); Iona
Institute [David QUINN] (a conservative Catholic think tank); Irish
Anti-War Movement [Richard Boyd BARRETT] (campaigns against wars around
the world); Irish Republican Army or IRA (terrorist group); Keep Ireland
Open (environmental group); Midland Railway Action Group or MRAG
[Willie ALLEN] (transportation promoters); Peace and Neutrality Alliance
[Roger COLE] (campaigns to protect Irish neutrality); Rail Users
Ireland (formerly the Platform 11 - transportation promoters); 32
Country Sovereignty Movement or 32CSM (supports a fully sovereign
Ireland); Ulster Defence Association or UDA (terrorist group)
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International organization participation:
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ADB (nonregional member),
Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,
MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE,
Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL,
UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador
Michael COLLINS
chancery:
2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 462-3939
FAX:
[1] (202) 232-5993
consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador
Daniel ROONEY
embassy:
42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[353] (1) 668-8777
FAX:
[353] (1) 668-9946
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Flag description:
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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
note:
similar to the flag of 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
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Economy - overview:
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Ireland is a small, modern,
trade-dependent economy. Ireland joined 11 other EU nations in
circulating the euro on 1 January 2002. GDP growth averaged 6% in
1995-2007, but economic activity dropped sharply in 2008-09 as GDP fell
by 3% in 2008 and nearly 8% in 2009. Ireland entered into a recession
for the first time in more than a decade with the onset of the world
financial crisis and subsequent severe slowdown in the property and
construction markets. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is
now dwarfed by industry and services. Although the export sector,
dominated by foreign multinationals, remains a key component of
Ireland's economy, construction most recently fueled economic growth
along with strong consumer spending and business investment. Property
prices rose more rapidly in Ireland in the decade up to 2007 than in any
other developed economy. However, average home prices have fallen 50%
from the 2007 peak. 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 an effort to stabilize the banking
sector, the Irish Government announced the establishment of the National
Asset Management Agency (NAMA), which will acquire property and
development loans with a book value of more than $100 billion from Irish
banks. Faced with a need to bring the budget deficit down under the 3%
EMU limit by 2014, 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.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$176.9 billion (2009
est.)
$191.3
billion (2008 est.)
$197.2
billion (2007 est.)
note:
data are in 2009 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$229.4 billion (2009
est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-7.5% (2009 est.)
03
-3%
(2008 est.)
6%
(2007 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$42,200 (2009 est.)
6
$46,000
(2008 est.)
$48,000
(2007 est.)
note:
data are in 2009 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 5%
industry:
46%
services:
49% (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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2.187 million (2009 est.)
17
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Labor force -
by occupation:
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agriculture: 6%
industry:
27%
services:
67% (2006 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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11.8% (2009 est.)
30
6.3%
(2008 est.)
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Population
below poverty line:
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4.2% (2008 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%:
27.2% (2000)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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30.7 (2008)
08
35.9
(1987)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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15.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
31
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Budget:
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revenues: $76
billion
expenditures:
$108.6 billion (2009 est.)
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Public debt:
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57.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
37.4%
of GDP (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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-4.5% (2009 est.)
4.1%
(2008 est.)
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Central bank
discount rate:
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3% (31 December 2008)
5%
(31 December 2007)
note:
this is the European Central Bank's rate on the
marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the
euro area
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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
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6.76% (31 December 2008)
31
6.52%
(31 December 2007)
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Stock of money:
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$NA
note:
see entry for the European Union for money supply
in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary
policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU);
individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and
quasi money circulating within their own borders
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Stock of quasi money:
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$NA
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Stock of
domestic credit:
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$738.6 billion (31
December 2008)
6
$545.2
billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$NA (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 51
$49.4
billion (31 December 2008)
$144
billion (31 December 2007)
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Agriculture - products:
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turnips, barley,
potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products
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Industries:
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steel, lead, zinc,
silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products,
brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail
transportation equipment; glass and crystal; software, tourism
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Industrial production growth rate:
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5% (2007 est.)
6
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Electricity -
production:
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26.06 billion kWh (2007
est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
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Electricity -
consumption:
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25.12 billion kWh (2007
est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
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Electricity - exports:
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303 million kWh (2008
est.)
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Electricity - imports:
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753 million kWh (2008
est.)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
2
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Oil - consumption:
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188,000 bbl/day (2008
est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
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Oil - exports:
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22,710 bbl/day (2008
est.)
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Oil - imports:
|
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190,800 bbl/day (2008
est.)
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Oil - proved reserves:
|
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0 bbl (1 January 2009
est.)
68
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Natural gas -
production:
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438 million cu m (2008
est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
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Natural gas -
consumption:
|
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5.217 billion cu m (2008
est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
69
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Natural gas - imports:
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4.798 billion cu m (2008
est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
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Natural
gas - proved reserves:
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9.911 billion cu m (1
January 2009 est.)
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Current account balance:
|
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-$6.707 billion (2009
est.)
3
-$13.88
billion (2008 est.)
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Exports:
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$108.6 billion (2009
est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
$119.8
billion (2008 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment,
computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
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Exports - partners:
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US 18.9%, UK 18.4%,
Belgium 14.6%, Germany 6.9%, France 5.8%, Spain 4.2% (2008)
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Imports:
|
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$63.12 billion (2009
est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
$84.82
billion (2008 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
|
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data processing
equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and
petroleum products, textiles, clothing
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Imports - partners:
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UK 37.6%, US 11.6%,
Germany 8.6%, Netherlands 5.6% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
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$2.135 billion (31
December 2009 est.)
10
$1.023
billion (31 December 2008 est.)
|
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Debt - external:
|
|
$2.287 trillion (30
September 2009)
country comparison to the world: 7
$2.356
trillion (31 December 2008)
|
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
|
|
$195.2 billion (31
December 2009 est.)
1
$170
billion (31 December 2008 est.)
|
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
|
|
$172.5 billion (31
December 2009 est.)
1
$151.5
billion (31 December 2008 est.)
|
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Exchange rates:
|
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euros (EUR) per US dollar
- 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041
(2005)
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Telephones - main lines in use:
|
|
2.202 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 55
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Telephones -
mobile cellular:
|
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5.048 million (2008)
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Telephone system:
|
|
general assessment: modern
digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
domestic:
system privatized but dominated by former state
monopoly operator; increasing levels of broadband access
international:
country code - 353; landing point for the
Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, and UK;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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Radio broadcast stations:
|
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AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0
(1998)
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Television
broadcast stations:
|
|
4 (many repeaters) (2008)
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Internet country code:
|
|
.ie
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|
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Internet hosts:
|
|
1.303 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 36
|
|
|
Internet users:
|
|
2.83 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 61
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Airports:
|
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39 (2009)
05
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Airports - with paved runways:
|
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total: 17
over 3,047 m:
1
2,438 to 3,047 m:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m:
4
914 to 1,523 m:
5
under 914 m:
6 (2009)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
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total: 22
914 to 1,523 m:
2
under 914 m:
20 (2009)
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Pipelines:
|
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gas 1,550 km (2009)
|
|
|
Railways:
|
|
total: 3,237
km
country comparison to the world: 53
broad gauge:
1,872 km 1.600-m gauge (37 km electrified)
narrow gauge:
1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat
Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants)
(2008)
|
|
|
Roadways:
|
|
total: 96,036
km
country comparison to the world: 48
paved:
96,036 km (includes 423 km of expressways) (2008)
|
|
|
Waterways:
|
|
956 km (pleasure craft
only) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 68
|
|
|
Merchant marine:
|
|
total: 29
by type:
cargo 25, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll
on/roll off 1
foreign-owned:
2 (US 2)
registered in other countries:
21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 3,
Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 10, Slovakia 1, UK 1)
(2008)
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|
|
Ports and terminals:
|
|
Cork, Dublin, Shannon
Foynes
|
|
|
|
Military branches:
|
|
Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na
h-Eireann): Army, Naval Service, Air Corps (2010)
|
|
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
|
17-25 years of age for
male or 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; maximum obligation 12 years; 17-35
years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces; EU citizenship or 5-year
residence in Ireland required (2008)
|
|
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
|
males age 16-49: 1,031,985
females age 16-49:
1,030,606 (2010 est.)
|
|
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
|
males age 16-49: 858,317
females age 16-49:
855,125 (2010 est.)
|
|
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
|
|
male: 27,987
female:
26,240 (2010 est.)
|
|
|
Military expenditures:
|
|
0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
39
|
|
|
|
| Transnational Issues
::Ireland |
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 financial community - remains
a concern
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