Ireland

§1. Ireland Introduction

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 1948 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, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in
  1998, is being implemented with some difficulties.

§2. Ireland Geography

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

Geographic coordinates:
  53 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references:
  Europe

Area:
  total: 70,280 km²
  land: 68,890 km²
  water: 1,390 km²

Area - comparative:
  slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
  total: 360 km
  border countries: UK 360 km

Coastline:
  1,448 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive fishing zone: 200 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 extremes:
  lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m

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

Land use:
  arable land: 16.82%
  permanent crops: 0.03%
  other: 83.15% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  NA

Natural hazards:
  NA

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

Environment - international agreements:
  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

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

§3. Ireland People

Population:
  4,062,235 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 20.9% (male 437,903/female 409,774)
  15-64 years: 67.6% (male 1,373,771/female 1,370,452)
  65 years and over: 11.6% (male 207,859/female 262,476) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 34 years
  male: 33.2 years
  female: 34.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  1.15% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  14.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  4.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 77.73 years
  male: 75.11 years
  female: 80.52 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.86 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  2,800 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  less than 100 (2003 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:
  Celtic, English

Religions:
  Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other
  1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census)

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

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 99%
  male: 99%
  female: 99% (2003 est.)

§4. Ireland Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: none
  conventional short form: Ireland
  local long form: none
  local short form: Eire

Government type:
  parliamentary democracy

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
  note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province

Independence:
  6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

National holiday:
  Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

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

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
  head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
  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;
    election last held 31 October 1997 (next scheduled for October 2011);
    note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to a second term when no other candidate
    qualified for the 2004 presidential election; prime minister 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%
  note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats

Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann
  (60 seats - 49 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 are elected by popular vote on the basis of
  proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
  elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held by July
    2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held
    by May 2007)
  election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
    Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive Democrats 4,
    independents and other 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by
    party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein
    6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party 3.8%, other 10.9%; seats by
    party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Sinn Fein 5,
    Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, other 14

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime
  minister and cabinet)

Political parties and leaders:
  Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [Trevor
  SARGENT]; Labor Party [Pat RABITTE]; Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY];
  Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party
  [Sean GARLAND]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
  IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
  OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
  UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO,
  WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Noel FAHEY
  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

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador James C. KENNY
  embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
  mailing address: use embassy street address
  telephone: [353] (1) 668-8777
  FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946

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

§5. Ireland Economy

Economy - overview:
  Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a
  robust 7% in 1995-2004. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now
  dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP, about
  80% of exports, and 29% of the labor force. Although exports remain the
  primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also benefited from a
  rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Per
  capita GDP is 10% above that of the four big European economies and the
  second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish
  Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed
  to curb price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase
  labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in
  circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $136.9 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $189.1 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  4.7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $34,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 5%
  industry: 46%
  services: 49% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
  2.03 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 8%, industry 29%, services 64% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  4.2% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  10% (1997 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 2%
  highest 10%: 27.3% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  35.9 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.7% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  25.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $70.46 billion
  expenditures: $69.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.5 billion
    (2005 est.)

Public debt:
  27.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
  turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products

Industries:
  steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing;
  food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
  machinery, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial
  vehicles, ship construction and refurbishment; glass and crystal; software,
  tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
  3% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  23.41 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  22.97 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  1.2 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  175,600 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  27,450 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
  178,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
  0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
  673 million m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  4.298 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  3.384 billion m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  19.82 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
  $-5.19 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $102 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live
  animals, animal products

Exports - partners:
  US 19.7%, UK 17.7%, Belgium 14.7%, Germany 7.7%, France 6%, Netherlands
  4.6%, Italy 4.5% (2004)

Imports:
  $65.47 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals,
  petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

Imports - partners:
  UK 35.7%, US 13.8%, Germany 9%, Netherlands 4.3%, France 4.2% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $2.908 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
  $1.049 trillion (30 June 2005)

Economic aid - donor:
  ODA, $607 million (2004)

Currency (code):
  euro (EUR)
  note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as
    a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member
    countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for
    everyday transactions within the member countries

Exchange rates:
  euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626
  (2002), 1.1175 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Ireland Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  2,019,100 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  3.78 million (2004)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio
    relay
  domestic: microwave radio relay
  international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
    (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001)

Internet country code:
  .ie

Internet hosts:
  238,706 (2005)

Internet users:
  2.06 million (2005)

§7. Ireland Transportation

Airports:
  36 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 15
  over 3,047 m: 1
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
  914 to 1,523 m: 3
  under 914 m: 6 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 21
  914 to 1,523 m: 4
  under 914 m: 17 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 1,795 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 3,312 km
  broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 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) (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 95,736 km
  paved: 95,736 km (including 125 km of expressways) (2002)

Waterways:
  753 km (pleasure craft only) (2005)

Merchant marine:
  total: 33
  by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 1,
    passenger/cargo 3, roll on/roll off 2
  foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 3, Italy 2, Norway 1, Spain 1, Switzerland 1, UK
    1, US 1)
  registered in other countries: 21 (The Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Gibraltar 1,
    Netherlands 13, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, UK 1)
    (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Cork, Dublin, New Ross, Shannon Foynes, Waterford

§8. Ireland Military

Military branches:
  Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service
    and Air Corps) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
  17 years of age for voluntary military service; enlistees under the age of
  17 can be recruited for specialist positions (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 17-49: 977,092 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 17-49: 814,768 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 29,327 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $700 million (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  0.9% (FY00/01)

§9. Ireland Transnational Issues

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; 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


<Factbook 2006>
