2000 Edition

Background

A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. 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, approved in 1998, has not yet been implemented.

Area

land

68,890 sq km

total

70,280 sq km

water

1,390 sq km

Area - comparative

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

Elevation extremes

highest point

Carrauntoohil 1,041 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94

Geographic coordinates

53 00 N, 8 00 W

Geography - note

strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 97 km of Dublin

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

border countries

UK 360 km

total

360 km

Land use

arable land

13%

forests and woodland

5%

other

14% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

0%

permanent pastures

68%

Location

Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

not specified

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

zinc, lead, natural gas, 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

Age structure

0-14 years: 21.85% (male 425,795; female 403,777) 15-64 years: 66.83% (male 1,271,367; female 1,266,150) 65 years and over: 11.33% (male 185,913; female 244,255) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

14.51 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

8.14 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Celtic, English

Infant mortality rate

5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

Life expectancy at birth

female

79.74 years (2000 est.)

male

74.06 years

total population

76.81 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

NA%

male

NA%

total population

98% (1981 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Irish

noun

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

Net migration rate

5.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

3,797,257 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

1.16% (2000 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.91 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

Constitution

29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Ireland

Data code

EI

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Michael SULLIVAN

embassy

42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

(1) 668-7122

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN

telephone

(202) 462-3939

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives

chief of state

President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)

election results

Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA November 2004); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)

note

government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats

FAX

(202) 232-5993

(1) 668-9946

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

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

Government type

republic

Independence

6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president on the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)

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 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)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 29, Fine Gael 16, Labor Party 4, Progressive Democrats 4, others 7; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19, Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Green Alliance 2, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7

elections

Senate - last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); House of Representatives - last held 6 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

National holiday

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Political parties and leaders

Communist Party of Ireland [Michael O'RIORDAN]; Democratic Left ; Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael ; Green Alliance ; Labor Party ; Progressive Democrats ; Sinn Fein ; The Workers' Party

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products

Budget

expenditures

$20.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $2 billion (1999)

revenues

$25.3 billion

Currency

1 Irish pound = 100 pence

Debt - external

$11 billion (1998)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $240 million (1999)

Economy - overview

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 9% in 1995-99. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 39% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 28% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Over the past decade, the Irish government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb inflation, reduce government spending, and promote foreign investment. The unemployment rate has been halved; job creation remains a primary concern of government policy. Recent efforts have concentrated on improving workers' qualifications and the education system. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations. The construction and other sectors are beginning to press against capacity, and growth is expected to drop in 2000, perhaps by 1 percentage point.

Electricity - consumption

18.415 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

100 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

180 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

19.715 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

94.12%

hydro

4.63%

nuclear

0%

other

1.25% (1998)

Exchange rates

Irish pounds per US$1 - 0.9865 (January 2000), 0.9374 (1999), 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997), 0.6248 (1996), 0.6235 (1995)

note

on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency the euro, which is now being used at a fixed rate of 0.787564 Irish pounds per euro; the euro has replaced the pound in many financial and business transactions; it will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Exports

$66 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products

Exports - partners

EU 68% (UK 22%, Germany 15%, France 8%), US 15% (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $73.7 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

5%

industry

39%

services

56% (1998)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $20,300 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

8.4% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 27.3% (1997)

Imports

$44 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

Imports - partners

EU 54% (UK 31%, Germany 6%, France 5%), US 16%, Japan 7%, Singapore 4% (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

10% (1999 est.)

Industries

food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal; software

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.2% (1999)

Labor force

1.77 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

services 63%, industry 28%, agriculture 9% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line

10% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate

5.5% (1999)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

14 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

2.55 million (1997)

Telephone system

modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay

domestic

microwave radio relay

international

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

1,642,541 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

941,775 (1999)

Television broadcast stations

10 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

1.47 million (1997)

Airports

44 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

17 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

27 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 25 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways)

total

92,500 km

unpaved

5,457 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 1, cargo 27, container 2, short-sea passenger 1 (1999 est.)

total

31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 100,639 GRT/115,793 DWT

Pipelines

natural gas 225 km (1998)

Ports and harbors

Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross, Waterford

Railways

broad gauge

1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km electrified; 485 km double track) (1998)

total

1,947 km

Waterways

700 km (limited for commercial traffic) (1998)

Military branches

Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda Siochana)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$732 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.9% (FY98)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 994,040 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 801,975 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

17 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

33,303 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

Northern Ireland issue with the UK (historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998); Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)

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

ISRAEL