*Ireland, Geography Location: in the North Atlantic Ocean, across the Irish Sea from Great Britain Map references: Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 70,280 km2 land area: 68,890 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries: total 360 km, UK 360 km Coastline: 1,448 km Maritime claims: continental shelf: not specified exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm 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) Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time Terrain: mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast Natural resources: zinc, lead, natural gas, petroleum, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver Land use: arable land: 14% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 71% forest and woodland: 5% other: 10% Irrigated land: NA km2 Environment: deforestation Note: strategic location on major air and sea routes between North American and northern Europe *Ireland, People Population: 3,529,566 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 0.26% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 14.39 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 8.71 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: -3.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.38 years male: 72.56 years female: 78.36 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.02 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(men), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish Ethnic divisions: Celtic, English Religions: Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981) Languages: Irish (Gaelic), spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard, English is the language generally used Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1981) total population: 98% male: NA% female: NA% 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) *Ireland, Government Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ireland Digraph: EI Type: republic Capital: Dublin 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 Independence: 6 December 1921 (from UK) Constitution: 29 December 1937; adopted 1937 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 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 Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal 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 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 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 Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) consists of an upper house or Senate (Seanad Eireann) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dail Eireann) *Ireland, Government Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990) Head of Government: Prime Minister Albert REYNOLDS (since 11 February 1992) 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 Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: 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 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 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 *Ireland, Economy 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. National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $42.4 billion (1992) National product real growth rate: 2% (1992) National product per capita: $12,000 (1992) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1992) Unemployment rate: 22.7% (1992) Budget: revenues $16.0 billion; expenditures $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (1992 est.) 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% 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% External debt: $15 billion (1990) Industrial production: growth rate 8.0% (1992 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP Electricity: 5,000,000 kW capacity; 14,500 million kWh produced, 4,120 kWh per capita (1992) Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal *Ireland, 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 Economic aid: donor - ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million Currency: 1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence 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) Fiscal year: calendar year *Ireland, Communications Railroads: Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge, government owned; 485 km double track; 37 km electrified Highways: 92,294 km total; 87,422 km paved, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone Inland waterways: limited for commercial traffic Pipelines: natural gas 225 km Ports: Cork, Dublin, Waterford 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 Airports: total: 40 usable: 39 with permanent-surface runways: 13 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 6 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 *Ireland, Defense Forces Branches: Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda Siochana) Manpower availability: males age 15-49 903,536; fit for military service 731,085; reach military age (17) annually 33,932 (1993 est.) Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $569 million, 1-2% of GDP (1993 est.)