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 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, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is being implemented with some difficulties.

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

53 00 N, 8 00 W

total: 70,280 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km

total: 360 km
border countries: UK 360 km

1,448 km

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

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

mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m

natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite

arable land: 16.82%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 83.15% (2005)

water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff

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

4,062,235 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 20.9% (male 437,903/female 409,774)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 1,373,771/female 1,370,452)
65 years and over: 11.6% (male 207,859/female 262,476) (2006 est.)

total: 34 years
male: 33.2 years
female: 34.8 years (2006 est.)

1.15% (2006 est.)

14.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

4.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 77.73 years
male: 75.11 years
female: 80.52 years (2006 est.)

1.86 children born/woman (2006 est.)

0.1% (2001 est.)

2,800 (2001 est.)

less than 100 (2003 est.)

noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish

Celtic, English

Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census)

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

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland
local long form: none
local short form: Eire

parliamentary democracy

Dublin

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
note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province

6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937

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

18 years of age; universal

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)
elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive Democrats 4, independents and other 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party 3.8%, other 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Sinn Fein 5, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, other 14

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

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 7% in 1995-2004. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and 29% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Per capita GDP is 10% above that of the four big European economies and the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations.

$136.9 billion (2005 est.)

$189.1 billion (2005 est.)

4.7% (2005 est.)

$34,100 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 5%
industry: 46%
services: 49% (2002 est.)

2.03 million (2005 est.)

agriculture: 8%
industry: 29%
services: 63% (2002 est.)

4.2% (2005 est.)

10% (1997 est.)

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

35.9 (1996)

2.7% (2005 est.)

25.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $70.46 billion
expenditures: $69.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.5 billion (2005 est.)

27.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

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

steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminium, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, ship construction and refurbishment; glass and crystal; software, tourism

3% (2005 est.)

23.41 billion kWh (2003)

22.97 billion kWh (2003)

1.2 billion kWh (2003)

0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

175,600 bbl/day (2003 est.)

27,450 bbl/day (2001)

178,600 bbl/day (2001)

673 million cu m (2003 est.)

4.298 billion cu m (2003 est.)

3.384 billion cu m (2001 est.)

19.82 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

-$5.19 billion (2005 est.)

$102 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

US 19.6%, UK 17.8%, Belgium 14.6%, Germany 7.7%, France 6%, Netherlands 4.6%, Italy 4.5% (2004)

$65.47 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

UK 35.9%, US 13.7%, Germany 8.9%, Netherlands 4.3%, France 4.3% (2004)

$2.908 billion (2004 est.)

$1.049 trillion (30 June 2005)

ODA, $607 million (2004)

euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

calendar year

2,019,100 (2004)

3.78 million (2004)

general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001)

.ie

238,706 (2005)

2.06 million (2005)

36 (2005)

total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 6 (2005)

total: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 17 (2005)

gas 1,795 km (2004)

total: 3,312 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 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) (2004)

total: 95,736 km
paved: 95,736 km (including 125 km of expressways) (2002)

753 km (pleasure craft only) (2005)

total: 33
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 1, passenger/cargo 3, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 3, Italy 2, Norway 1, Spain 1, Switzerland 1, UK 1, US 1)
registered in other countries: 21 (The Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Gibraltar 1, Netherlands 13, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, UK 1) (2005)

Cork, Dublin, New Ross, Shannon Foynes, Waterford

Irish Defence Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps) (2006)

Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

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; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern