Ireland
republicIndependence 6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)
Ireland as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 109 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. 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, approved in 1998, has not yet been implemented.
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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, 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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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 97 km of Dublin
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2000 est.)
Religions(1998)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 21.85% (male 425,795; female 403,777)
- 15-64 years:
- 66.83% (male 1,271,367; female 1,266,150)
- 65 years and over:
- 11.33% (male 185,913; female 244,255) (2000 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.76 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Languages
English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Government
Republic; President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997); Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
18 fieldsSenate, 166 seats, elected NA August 1997one 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 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 to be held NA November 2004);
- 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 NA August 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); House of Representatives - last held 6 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
- election results:
- Senate - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 29, Fine Gael 16, Labor Party 4, Progressive Democrats 4, others 7;
- seats by party - NA;
- House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19, Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Green Alliance 2, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president on the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)
Political parties and leaders
- Communist Party of Ireland [Michael O'RIORDAN];
- Democratic Left [Proinsias DE ROSSA];
- Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN];
- Fine Gael [John BRUTON];
- Green Alliance [Patricia HOWARD];
- Labor Party [Ruairi QUINN];
- Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY];
- Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS];
- The Workers' Party [Marion DONNELLY]
International organization participation
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, 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, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
- 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, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Michael SULLIVAN
- embassy:
- 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
- mailing address:
- use embassy street address
- telephone:
- [353] (1) 668-7122
- 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
Economy
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 9% in 1995-99.
31 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1998)
Electricity
Economy - overview
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 9% in 1995-99. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 39% of GDP and 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.
Over the past decade, the Irish government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb inflation, reduce government spending, and promote foreign investment. The unemployment rate has been halved; job creation remains a primary concern of government policy.
Recent efforts have concentrated on improving workers' qualifications and the education system. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations. The construction and other sectors are beginning to press against capacity, and growth is expected to drop in 2000, perhaps by 1 percentage point.
Industries
- food products, brewing, textiles, clothing;
- chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal;
- software
Exports - commodities
machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
Imports - commodities
data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Exchange rates
Irish pounds per US$1 - 0.9865 (January 2000), 0.9374 (1999), 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997), 0.6248 (1996), 0.6235 (1995)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency the euro, which is now being used at a fixed rate of 0.787564 Irish pounds per euro;
the euro has replaced the pound in many financial and business transactions; it will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Communications
8 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 left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 1,947 km
- broad gauge:
- 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km electrified; 485 km double track) (1998)
Highways
- total:
- 92,500 km
- paved:
- 87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 5,457 km (1999 est.)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 100,639 GRT/115,793 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 1, cargo 27, container 2, short-sea passenger 1 (1999 est.)
Military
Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda Siochana)
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- Northern Ireland issue with the UK (historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998);
- 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;
- minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ireland.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ireland/2000.