Ireland

• temperate maritime;
• modified by North Atlantic Current;
• mild winters, cool summers;
• consistently humid;
• overcast about half the time

total:

1.18 cu km/yr (23%/77%/0%)

per capita:

284 cu m/yr (1994)

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:

0.8 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

noun:

Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)

adjective:

Irish

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Ireland

local long form:

none

local short form:

Eire

name:

Dublin

geographic coordinates:

53 19 N, 6 14 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts;
• judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)

head of government:

Prime Minister Brian COWEN (since 7 May 2008)

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 (eligible for a second 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 (taoiseach) 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, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats, and independent members of Parliament

• Fianna Fail [Brian COWEN];
• Fine Gael [Enda KENNY];
• Green Party [John GORMLEY];
• Labor Party [Eamon GILMORE];
• Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY, acting leader];
• Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS];
• Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS];
• The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND]

• Families Acting for Innocent Relatives or FAIR [Brian McCONNELL] (seek compensation for victims of violence);
• Families Against Intimidation and Terror or FAIT (oppose terrorism);
• Gaeltacht Civil Rights Campaign (Coiste Cearta Sibhialta na Gaeilge) or CCSG (encourages the use of the Irish language and campaigns for greater civil rights in Irish speaking areas);
• Irish Republican Army or IRA (terrorist group);
• Keep Ireland Open (environmental group);
• Midland Railway Action Group or MRAG [Willie ALLEN] (transportation promoters);
• Rail Users Ireland (formerly the Platform 11 - transportation promoters);
• 32 Country Sovereignty Movement or 32CSM (supports a fully sovereign Ireland);
• Ulster Defence Association or UDA (terrorist group)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Michael COLLINS

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, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Thomas C. FOLEY

embassy:

42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[353] (1) 668-8777

FAX:

[353] (1) 668-9946

• 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

agriculture:

6%

industry:

27%

services:

67% (2006 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.9%

highest 10%:

27.2% (2000)

• steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing;
• food products, brewing, textiles, clothing;
• chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
• machinery, rail transportation equipment;
• glass and crystal;
• software, tourism

general assessment:

modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay

domestic:

microwave radio relay

international:

• country code - 353;
• landing point for the Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, and UK;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

total:

3,237 km

broad gauge:

1,872 km 1.600-m gauge (37 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) (2006)

total:

96,602 km

paved:

96,602 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2003)

total:

29

by type:

cargo 25, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned:

2 (US 2)

registered in other countries:

21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 3, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 10, Slovakia 1, UK 1) (2008)

• 17-25 years of age for male or female voluntary military service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service);
• enlistees 16 years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions;
• maximum obligation 12 years;
• 17-35 years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces;
• EU citizenship or 5-year residence in Ireland required (2008)

males age 16-49:

1,024,635

females age 16-49:

1,024,276 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

854,982

females age 16-49:

852,592 (2008 est.)

male:

28,610

female:

27,095 (2008 est.)

• transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs;
• increasing consumption of South American cocaine;
• 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