1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Coastline
1,448 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than West Virginia
Disputes
Northern Ireland question with the UK; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)
Environment
deforestation
Land boundary
360 km with UK
Land use
arable land 14%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 71%; forest and woodland 5%; other 10%
Maritime claims
Continental shelf: no precise definition; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
zinc, lead, natural gas, crude oil, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver
Terrain
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Total area
70,280 km2; land area: 68,890 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
15 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Celtic, with English minority
Infant mortality rate
6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
1,293,000; services 57.0%, manufacturing and construction 26.1%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 15.0%, energy and mining 1.9% (1988)
Language
Irish (Gaelic) and English; English is the language generally used, with Gaelic spoken in a few areas, mostly along the western seaboard
Life expectancy at birth
73 years male, 79 years female (1991)
Literacy
98% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)
Nationality
noun--Irishman(men), Irish (collective pl.); adjective--Irish
Net migration rate
- 9 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
36% of labor force
Population
3,489,165 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.3% (1991)
Religion
Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981)
Total fertility rate
2.1 children born/woman (1991)
Government
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
Capital
Dublin
Communists
under 500
Constitution
29 December 1937; adopted 1937
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Padraic N. MACKERNAN; Chancery at 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3939; there are Irish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Richard A. MOORE; Embassy at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin; telephone [353] (1) 688777
Elections
President--last held 9 November 1990 (next to be held November 1997); results--Mary Bourke ROBINSON 52.8%, Brian LENIHAN 47.2%; Senate--last held on 17 February 1987 (next to be held February 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 16, Labor 3, Independents 11; House of Representatives--last held on 12 July 1989 (next to be held NA June 1994); results--Fianna Fail 44.0%, Fine Gael 29.4%, Labor Party 9.3%, Progressive Democrats 5.4%, Workers' Party 4.9%, Sinn Fein 1.1%, independents 5.9%; seats--(166 total) Fianna Fail 77, Fine Gael 55, Labor Party 15, Workers' Party 7, Progressive Democrats 6, independents 6
Executive branch
president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of the Ivory Coast 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
Independence
6 December 1921 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990); Head of Government--Prime Minister Charles J. HAUGHEY (since 12 July 1989, the fourth time elected as Prime Minister)
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
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) consists of an upper house or Senate (Seanad Eireann) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dail Eireann)
Long-form name
none
Member of
BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NEA, OECD, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
National holiday
Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Political parties and leaders
Fianna Fail, Charles HAUGHEY; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Workers' Party, Proinsias DEROSSA; Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY; note--Prime Minister HAUGHEY heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 10% of GNP and 15% of the labor force; principal crops--turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; livestock--meat and dairy products; 85% self-sufficient in food; food shortages include bread grain, fruits, vegetables
Budget
revenues $11.3 billion; expenditures $11.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (1990)
Currency
Irish pound (plural--pounds); 1 Irish pound (5Ir) = 100 pence
Economic aid
donor--ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million
Electricity
4,957,000 kW capacity; 14,480 million kWh produced, 4,080 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Irish pounds (5Ir) per US$1--0.5656 (January 1991), 0.6030 (1990), 0.7472 (1989), 0.6553 (1988), 0.6720 (1987), 0.7454 (1986), 0.9384 (1985)
Exports
$24.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products; partners--EC 74% (UK 34%, FRG 11%, France 10%), US 8%
External debt
$16.0 billion (1990)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$33.9 billion, per capita $9,690; real growth rate 4.1% (1990)
Imports
$20.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--food, animal feed, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing; partners--EC 66% (UK 41%, FRG 9%, France 4%), US 16%
Industrial production
growth rate 4.7% (1990); accounts for 37% of GDP
Industries
food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.3% (1990)
Overview
The economy is small, open, and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 26% of the labor force. The government has successfully reduced the rate of inflation from double-digit figures in the late 1970s to 3.3% in 1990. In 1987, after years of deficits, the balance of payments was brought into the black. Unemployment, however, is a serious problem. A 1990 unemployment rate of 16.6% placed Ireland along with Spain as the countries with the worst jobless records in Western Europe.
Unemployment rate
16.6% (1990)
Communications
Airports
40 total, 37 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
23 major transport aircraft
Highways
92,294 km total; 87,422 km surfaced, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways
limited for commercial traffic
Merchant marine
53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 138,967 GRT/164,628 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 31 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 3 container, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 6 bulk
Pipelines
natural gas, 225 km
Ports
Cork, Dublin, Shannon Estuary, Waterford
Railroads
Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge, government owned; 485 km double track; 38 km electrified
Telecommunications
small, modern system using cable and radio relay circuits; 900,000 telephones; stations--45 AM, 16 (29 relays) FM, 18 (68 relays) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Military and Security
Branches
Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (GARDA)
Defense expenditures
$458 million, 1.6% of GDP (1990 est.) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 871,578; 705,642 fit for military service; 33,175 reach military age (17) annually