Ireland
republic, parliamentary democracyIndependence 6 December 1921 (from the UK by treaty)
Ireland as the 2009 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 137 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 UK. In 1949, 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 is gradually being implemented despite some difficulties. In 2006, the Irish and British governments developed and began to implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.
Geography
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
20 fieldsLand useshare of 70,273 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
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 1.18 cu km/yr (23%/77%/0%)
- per capita:
- 284 cu m/yr (1994)
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
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2009 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2006 census)
Religions(2006 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:
- 0.81 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Languages
English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas along the western coast
Government
Republic, parliamentary democracy; President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997); Prime Minister Brian COWEN (since 7 May 2008)
18 fieldsSenate, 166 seats, elected in July 2007one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Ireland
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- Eire
Capital
- 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
Administrative divisions
29 counties and 5 cities*; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Cork*, Donegal, Dublin*, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway, Galway*, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Limerick*, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, North Tipperary, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, South Dublin, South Tipperary, Waterford, 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 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 (disbanding), and independent members of Parliament
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats; 49 members 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 in July 2007 (next to be held by July 2012); House of Representatives - last held 24 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012)
- election results:
- Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - Fianna Fail 28, Fine Gael 14, Labor Party 6, Progressive Democrats 2, Green Party 2, Sein Fein 1, independents 7;
- House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.6%, Fine Gael 27.3%, Labor Party 10.1%, Sinn Fein 6.9%, Green Party 4.7%, Progressive Democrats 2.7%, other 6.7%;
- seats by party - Fianna Fail 78, Fine Gael 51, Labor Party 20, Sinn Fein 4, Green Party 6, Progressive Democrats 2, independents 4, Speaker of the Dail 1
note: on 8 November 2008, delegates voted to disband the party, but as of January 2009, the party was still operating
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet)
Political parties and leaders
- Fianna Fail [Brian COWEN];
- Fine Gael [Enda KENNY];
- Green Party [John GORMLEY];
- Labor Party [Eamon GILMORE];
- Progressive Democrats [Ciaran CANNON] (disbanding);
- Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS];
- Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS];
- The Workers' Party [Mick FINNEGAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- 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)
International organization participation
ADB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- 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
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Daniel ROONEY; note - has not yet presented his credentials to Ireland
- 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.
51 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2002 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy. GDP growth averaged 6% in 1995-2007, but economic activity dropped sharply in 2008 and Ireland entered into a recession for the first time in more than a decade with the onset of the world financial crisis and subsequent severe slowdown in the property and construction markets.
Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Although the export sector, dominated by foreign multinationals, remains a key component of Ireland's economy, construction most recently fueled economic growth along with strong consumer spending and business investment.
Property prices rose more rapidly in Ireland in the decade up to 2006 than in any other developed world economy. Per capita GDP also surged during Ireland's high-growth years, and in 2007 surpassed that of the United States. The Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, invest in infrastructure, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment.
In 2008 the COWEN government moved to guarantee all bank deposits, recapitalize the banking system, and establish partly-public venture capital funds in response to the country's economic downturn. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations.
Distribution of family income - Gini index
32 (2005) · 35.9 (1987) country comparison to the world: 101
Central bank discount rate
3% (31 December 2008) · 5% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 96 note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Commercial bank prime lending rate
6.76% (31 December 2008) · 6.52% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 125
Stock of money
$NA
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU);
individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders
Stock of domestic credit
$738.6 billion (31 December 2008) · $545.2 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 15
Industries
- 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
Natural gas - proved reserves
9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Current account balance
-$13.88 billion (2008 est.) · -$14.12 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
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
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$1.023 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $926.2 million (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Debt - external
$2.356 trillion (31 December 2008) · $2.263 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 6
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$152.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $139.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 21
Exchange rates
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
- domestic:
- system privatized but dominated by former state monopoly operator; increasing levels of broadband access
- 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)
Television broadcast stations
4 (many repeaters); (projected digital broadcasting scheduled to be launched in 2009) (2008)
Transportation
9 fieldsMerchant marine, 29 ships by typeone square, one ship
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 3,237 km
country comparison to the world: 53
- 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) (2008)
Roadways
- total:
- 96,602 km
country comparison to the world: 46
- paved:
- 96,602 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2003)
Military
Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps (Aer-Chor na h-Eireann)) (2009)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps (Aer-Chor na h-Eireann)) (2009)
Military service age and obligation
- 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)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 1,024,635
- females age 16-49:
- 1,024,276 (2008 est.)
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;
- 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ireland.” The World Factbook 2009. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ireland/2009.