Ireland

Geography

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

Map references: Europe

Area:
total area: 70,280 sq km
land area: 68,890 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia

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

International disputes: 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)

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: 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 sq km

Environment:
current issues: water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

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: 3,550,448 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (female 415,640; male 440,468)
15-64 years: 64% (female 1,125,638; male 1,155,823)
65 years and over: 12% (female 237,098; male 175,781) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.33% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 14.04 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 8.48 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.99 years
male: 73.15 years
female: 79 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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

Ethnic divisions: Celtic, English

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

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

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)
total population: 98%

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

Government

Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland

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 UK)

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:
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 John BRUTON (since 15 December 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by president with previous nomination of the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives

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, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OECD, ONUSAL, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dermot A. GALLAGHER
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jean Kennedy SMITH
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [353] (1) 6687122
FAX: [353] (1) 6689946

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 - $49.8 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 5.5% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $14,060 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: 16% (1994 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $16 billion
expenditures: $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994)

Exports: $28 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products
partners: EU 75% (UK 32%, Germany 13%, France 10%), US 9%

Imports: $26 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: food, animal feed, data processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing
partners: EU 66% (UK 41%, Germany 8%, France 4%), US 15%

External debt: $20 billion (1994 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 8.5% (1994 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 3,930,000 kW
production: 14.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 3,938 kWh (1993)

Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal

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 UK and Netherlands

Economic aid:
donor: ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million

Currency: 1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence

Exchange rates: Irish pounds (#Ir) per US$1 - 0.6420 (January 1995), 0.6676 (1994), 0.6816 (1993), 0.5864 (1992), 0.6190 (1991), 0.6030 (1990)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation

Railroads:
total: 1,947 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (36 km electrified; 485 km double track)

Highways:
total: 92,327 km
paved: 86,787 km (32 km of expressways)
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 5,540 km (1992)

Inland waterways: limited for commercial traffic

Pipelines: natural gas 225 km

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

Merchant marine:
total: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 129,996 GRT/160,419 DWT
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 33, chemical tanker 2, container 2, oil tanker 1, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 2

Airports:
total: 44
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2
with paved runways under 914 m: 32
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4

Communications

Telephone system: 900,000 telephones; modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
local: NA
intercity: microwave radio relay
international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 86
televisions: NA

Defense Forces

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

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 926,831; males fit for military service 749,646; males reach military age (17) annually 34,215 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $500 million, 1.3% of GDP (1994)