Ireland
republicIndependence 6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)
Ireland as the 2002 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 116 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Celtic tribes settled on the island in the 4th century 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 United Kingdom.
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 currently being 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified:
- Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Endangered Species, 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 97 km of Dublin
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2002 est.)
Religions(1998)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 21.3% (male 425,366; female 403,268)
- 15-64 years:
- 67.3% (male 1,307,469; female 1,305,038)
- 65 years and over:
- 11.4% (male 191,927; female 250,091) (2002 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.77 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 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 16 and 17 July 2002one 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 note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province
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
- 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
- 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
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)
- 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 others 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%, others 10.9%;
- seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5, others 14
- elections:
- Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)
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 RABBITTE];
- Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY];
- Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS];
- Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS];
- The Workers' Party [Tom FRENCH]
International organization participation
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Noel FAHEY
- chancery:
- 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- consulate(s) general:
- Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 232-5993
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 462-3939
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Richard J. EGAN
- embassy:
- 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
- mailing address:
- use embassy street address
- telephone:
- [353] (1) 668-7122/668-8777
- 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
Economy
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 8% in 1995-2002.
33 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2001)
Electricity
Economy - overview
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 8% in 1995-2002. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 45% 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, 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, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations.
The economy felt the impact of the global economic slowdown in 2001-02, particularly in the high-tech export sector; the growth rate was cut by half.
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
Exports - partners
EU 62.8% (UK 19.8%, Germany 11.3%, France 7.7%, Netherlands 5.6%, Belgium 4.8%), US 17.1% (2000)
Imports - commodities
data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Imports - partners
EU 61.4% (UK 33.4%, Germany 5.9%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 3.5%), US 16.2%, Japan 4% (2000)
Currency
euro (EUR); Irish pound (IEP)
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 - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Irish pounds per US dollar - 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- 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:
- 3,314 km
- broad gauge:
- 1,949 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km electrified; 485 km double-tracked)
- narrow gauge:
- 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briqueting plants) (2001)
Highways
- total:
- 92,500 km
- paved:
- 87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 5,457 km (1999 est.)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 110,741 GRT/127,342 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 2 (2002 est.)
- ships by type:
- bulk 4, cargo 20, container 1, short-sea passenger 1
Military
Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda Siochana)
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and the UK over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ireland.” The World Factbook 2002. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ireland/2002.