1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 70,280 km2 land area: 68,890 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia
Climate
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Coastline
1,448 km
Environment
deforestation
International 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)
Irrigated land
NA km2
Land boundaries
total 360 km, UK 360 km
Land use
arable land: 14% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 71% forest and woodland: 5% other: 10%
Location
in the North Atlantic Ocean, across the Irish Sea from Great Britain
Map references
Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
continental shelf: not specified exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
zinc, lead, natural gas, petroleum, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver
Note
strategic location on major air and sea routes between North American and northern Europe
Terrain
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
People and Society
Birth rate
14.39 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
8.71 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Celtic, English
Infant mortality rate
7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
1.37 million by occupation: services 57.0%, manufacturing and construction 28%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 13.5%, energy and mining 1.5% (1992)
Languages
Irish (Gaelic), spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard, English is the language generally used
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 75.38 years male: 72.56 years female: 78.36 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1981) total population: 98% male: NA% female: NA%
Nationality
noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(men), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish
Net migration rate
-3.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
3,529,566 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
0.26% (1993 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981)
Total fertility rate
2.02 children born/woman (1993 est.)
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
Ambassador Dermot A. GALLAGHER chancery
2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008 telephone: (202) 462-3939 consulates general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
Capital
Dublin
Chief of State
President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990)
Constitution
29 December 1937; adopted 1937
Digraph
EI
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission:
Executive branch
president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
FAX
[353] (1) 689946
Flag
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of the 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
Head of Government
Prime Minister Albert REYNOLDS (since 11 February 1992)
House of Representatives
last held on 25 November 1992 (next to be held by June 1995); results - Fianna Fail 39.1%, Fine Gael 24.5%, Labor Party 19.3%, Progressive Democrats 4.7%, Democratic Left 2.8%, Sinn Fein 1.6%, Workers' Party 0.7%, independents 5.9%; seats - (166 total) Fianna Fail 68, Fine Gael 45, Labor Party 33, Progressive Democrats 10, Democratic Left 4, Greens 1, independents 5
Independence
6 December 1921 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
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)
Member of
Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, COCOM (cooperating country), 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, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OECD, ONUSAL, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNPROFRO, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ireland
National holiday
Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Political parties and leaders
Democratic Left, Proinsias DE ROSSA; Fianna Fail, Albert REYNOLDS; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY note: Prime Minister REYNOLDS heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna Fail and the Labor Party
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 NA February 1992 (next to be held February 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 26, Fine Gael 16, Labor 9, Progressive Democrats 2, Democratic Left 1, independents 6
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type
republic
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador William Henry G. FITZGERALD; Ambassador Designate Jean Kennedy SMITH (17 March 1993) embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [353] (1) 687122
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 11% of GDP and 13% 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 $16.0 billion; expenditures $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (1992 est.)
Currency
1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence
Economic aid
donor - ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million
Electricity
5,000,000 kW capacity; 14,500 million kWh produced, 4,120 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Irish pounds (#Ir) per US$1 - 0.6118 (January 1993), 0.5864 (1992), 0.6190 (1991), 0.6030 (1990), 0.7472 (1989), 0.6553 (1988)
Exports
$28.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products partners: EC 75% (UK 32%, Germany 13%, France 10%), US 9%
External debt
$15 billion (1990)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Imports
$23.3 billion (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: food, animal feed, data processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing partners: EC 66% (UK 41%, Germany 8%, Netherlands 4%), US 15%
Industrial production
growth rate 8.0% (1992 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP
Industries
food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.5% (1992)
National product
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $42.4 billion (1992)
National product per capita
$12,000 (1992)
National product real growth rate
2% (1992)
Overview
The economy is small and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor force. Since 1987, real GDP growth, led by exports, has averaged 4% annually. Over the same period, inflation has fallen sharply and chronic trade deficits have been transformed into annual surpluses. Unemployment, at 22.7% remains a serious problem, however, and job creation is the main focus of government policy. To ease unemployment, Dublin aggressively courts foreign investors and recently created a new industrial development agency to aid small indigenous firms. Government assistance is constrained by Dublin's continuing deficit reduction measures. After five years of fiscal restraint, total government debt still exceeds GDP. Growth probably will moderate in 1993 as the heavily indebted and trade-dependent economy is highly sensitive to changes in exchange rates and world interest rates. Exports to the UK, Ireland's major export market, probably will be hurt by the recent appreciation of the Irish currency against sterling - for the first time since 1979 the value of the Irish pound exceeds that of its British counterpart.
Unemployment rate
22.7% (1992)
Communications
Airports
total: 40 usable: 39 with permanent-surface runways: 13 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 6
Highways
92,294 km total; 87,422 km paved, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways
limited for commercial traffic
Merchant marine
57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 154,647 GRT/186,432 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 33 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 4 container, 3 oil tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 5 bulk
Pipelines
natural gas 225 km
Ports
Cork, Dublin, Waterford
Railroads
Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge, government owned; 485 km double track; 37 km electrified
Telecommunications
modern system using cable and digital microwave circuits; 900,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 45 FM, 86 TV; 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda Siochana)
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $569 million, 1-2% of GDP (1993 est.)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 903,536; fit for military service 731,085; reach military age (17) annually 33,932 (1993 est.)