Ireland
republicIndependence 6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)
Ireland as the 2005 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 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 being implemented with some difficulties.
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-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
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2005 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2005 est.)
Male · female(2005 est.)
Religions(2002 census)
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 (2005 est.)
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:
- 98% (1981 est.)
- male:
- NA%
- female:
- NA%
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
Country name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Ireland
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- Eire
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
- 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 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
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]
International organization participation
Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIK, UNMIL, 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, and 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
Economy
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 7% in 1995-2004.
45 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2002 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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.
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
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
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 - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone 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)
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
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)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 39
- by type:
- bulk carrier 4, cargo 27, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2
- foreign-owned:
- 11 (Germany 3, Italy 3, Norway 1, Switzerland 1, United Kingdom 3)
- registered in other countries:
- 18 (2005)
Military
Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps)
7 fieldsMilitary 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)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ireland.” The World Factbook 2005. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ireland/2005.