Ireland
republicIndependence 6 December 1921 (from UK)
Ireland as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 100 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of | Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
18 fieldsLand useshare of 70,280 sq km
Location
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified:
- Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94
Geography - 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
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1997 est.)
Religions(1981)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 23% (male 415,747; female 393,181)
- 15-64 years:
- 66% (male 1,203,792; female 1,185,935)
- 65 years and over:
- 11% (male 173,566; female 234,731) (July 1997 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
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Languages
Irish (Gaelic), spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard, English is the language generally used
Government
Republic; President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990); Prime Minister John BRUTON (since 15 December 1994)
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Senate, 166 seats, elected NA February 1992one dot, one seat
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
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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister John BRUTON (since 15 December 1994)
- 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 9 November 1990 (next to be held NA November 1997);
- prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president
- election results:
- Mary Bourke ROBINSON elected president; percent of vote - Mary Bourke ROBINSON 52.8%, Brian LENIHAN 47.2%
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 direct popular vote and proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- Senate - last held NA February 1992 (next to be held NA February 1997);
- House of Representatives - last held 25 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1997)
- election results:
- Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - Fianna Fail 26, Fine Gael 16, Labor 9, Progressive Democrats 2, Democratic Left 1, independents 6;
- House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - 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 by party - Fianna Fail 68, Fine Gael 45, Labor Party 33, Progressive Democrats 10, Democratic Left 4, Greens 1, independents 5
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president on the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)
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 [Mary HARNEY];
- 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
International organization participation
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Dermot A. GALLAGHER (will return to Dublin in July)
- chancery:
- 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 462-3939
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Jean Kennedy SMITH
- embassy:
- 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
- mailing address :
- use embassy street address
- telephone:
- [353] (1) 6688777
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
Economy
The economy is small and trade dependent. | Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by | industry, which accounts for 38% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and | employs 26% of the labor force.
22 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1994)
Economy - overview
The economy is small and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 38% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 26% 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.
Since the 1980s, 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.
Industries
food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal
Exports
- total value:
- $43.4 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
- commodities:
- chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products
- partners:
- EU 70% (UK 26%, Germany 14%, France 9%), US 6%
Imports
- total value:
- $32.7 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
- commodities :
- food, animal feed, data processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing
- partners:
- EU 58% (UK 37%, Germany 7%, France 4%), US 17%
Exchange rates
Irish pounds (£Ir) per US$1 - 0.6123 (January 1997), 0.6248 (1996), 0.6235 (1995), 0.6676 (1994), 0.6816 (1993), 0.5864 (1992)
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
- domestic:
- microwave radio relay
- international:
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 1,947 km
- broad gauge:
- 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (37 km electrified; 485 km double track) (1996)
Highways
- total:
- 92,430 km
- paved :
- 86,884 km (including 70 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 5,546 km (1995 est.)
Merchant marine
- total :
- 39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 130,029 GRT/148,516 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 1, cargo 27, chemical tanker 2, container 5, oil tanker 1, short-sea passenger 3 (1996 est.)
Military
Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps), | National Police (Garda Siochana)
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
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)
Illicit drugs
- transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs;
- transshipment point for heroin and cocaine ISRAEL (also see separate Gaza Strip and West Bank entries)
Introduction
1 fieldCurrent issues
The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the data below, unless otherwise noted. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations are being conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives, and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement between them.
On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace.
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ireland.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ireland/1997.