CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Ireland


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!| Background:
 * Celtic tribes settled on the island from 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 United Kingdom. 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 1,390 sq km land: 68,890 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: UK 360 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 0.03% other: 84.77% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation !| Geography - note:
 * 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
 * Europe
 * total: 70,280 sq km
 * slightly larger than West Virginia
 * total: 360 km
 * 1,448 km
 * territorial sea: 12 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
 * natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite
 * arable land: 15.2%
 * NA sq km
 * NA
 * water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff
 * 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
 * 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
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 1,342,233; female 1,337,580) 65 years and over: 11.5% (male 199,379; female 255,243) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 32.6 years female: 34.2 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 6.04 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 74.74 years female: 80.15 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Irish !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 98% (1981 est.) male: NA female: NA
 * 3,969,558 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 21% (male 430,905; female 404,218)
 * total: 33.4 years
 * 1.16% (2004 est.)
 * 14.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 7.91 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 4.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
 * total: 5.5 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 77.36 years
 * 1.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.1% (2001 est.)
 * 2,400 (2001 est.)
 * less than 100 (2003 est.)
 * noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
 * Celtic, English
 * Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998)
 * English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Ireland !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6% note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 31 October 1997 (next scheduled for 22 October 2004); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to a second term when no other candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election; prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president !| Legislative branch: 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 others 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%, others 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5, others 14 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) !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: 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:
 * conventional long form: none
 * republic
 * 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
 * 6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)
 * Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
 * 29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite
 * 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
 * chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
 * 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)
 * Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet)
 * Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [Trevor SARGENT]; Labor Party [Pat RABITTE]; Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND]
 * NA
 * Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Noel FAHEY
 * chief of mission: Ambassador James C. KENNY
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 46% services: 49% (2002 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 27.3% (1997) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $53.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.5 billion (2003) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - donor: !| Currency: 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 !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 8% in 1995-2002. The global slowdown, especially in the information technology sector, pressed growth down to 2.1% in 2003. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 28% 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 sEU, 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 launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations.
 * purchasing power parity - $116.2 billion (2003 est.)
 * 1.4% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $29,600 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 5%
 * 22.9% of GDP (2003)
 * 10% (1997 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 2%
 * 35.9 (1987)
 * 3.5% (2003 est.)
 * 1.871 million (2003)
 * agriculture 8%, industry 29%, services 64% (2002 est.)
 * 4.7% (2003 est.)
 * revenues: $53.22 billion
 * 31.2% of GDP (2003)
 * turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products
 * food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal; software
 * 6.7% (2003 est.)
 * 23.53 billion kWh (2001)
 * 21.63 billion kWh (2001)
 * 285 million kWh (2001)
 * 38 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 174,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 27,450 bbl/day (2001)
 * 178,600 bbl/day (2001)
 * 0 bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 815 million cu m (2001 est.)
 * 4.199 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 3.384 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $-2.994 billion (2003)
 * $98.31 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products (1999)
 * US 20.5%, UK 18.1%, Belgium 12.6%, Germany 8.3%, France 6.1%, Netherlands 5.1%, Italy 4.6% (2003)
 * $57.54 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
 * UK 34.9%, US 15.8%, Germany 7.9%, Netherlands 4.1% (2003)
 * $4.152 billion (2003)
 * $11 billion (1998)
 * ODA, $283 million (2001)
 * euro (EUR)
 * EUR
 * euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: microwave radio relay international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 1.955 million (2003)
 * 3.4 million (2003)
 * general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
 * AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)
 * 2.55 million (1997)
 * 4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001)
 * 1.82 million (2001)
 * .ie
 * 162,228 (2004)
 * 22 (2000)
 * 1.26 million (2003)
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!| Railways: 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) (2003) !| Highways: paved: 87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,457 km (2000 est.) !| Waterways: !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 18 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: Germany 3, Italy 7, Norway 2 by type: bulk 7, cargo 22, chemical tanker 1, container 3, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 1 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 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 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.)
 * total: 3,312 km
 * total: 92,500 km
 * 753 km (pleasure craft only) (2004)
 * gas 1,795 km (2004)
 * Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross, Waterford
 * total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 288,401 GRT/383,628 DWT
 * 36 (2003 est.)
 * total: 15
 * total: 21
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps)
 * 17 years of age for voluntary military service; enlistees under the age of 17 can be recruited for specialist positions (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 1,029,525 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 827,811 (2004 est.)
 * males: 30,083 (2004 est.)
 * $700 million (FY00/01)
 * 0.9% (FY00/01)
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