Ireland

Airports

36 total, 35 usable; 17 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

23 major transport aircraft

Highways

92,294 km total; 87,422 km paved, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone

Inland waterways

limited for commercial traffic

Merchant marine

55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 146,081 GRT/177,058 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 32 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 3 container, 3 petroleum tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 6 bulk

Pipelines

natural gas 225 km

Ports

Cork, Dublin, Shannon Estuary, Waterford

Railroads

Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge, government owned; 485 km double track; 38 km electrified

Telecommunications

small, 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

Branches

Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (GARDA)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $566 million, 1-2% of GDP (1992 est.)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 894,421; 724,262 fit for military service; 34,182 reach military age (17) annually

Note

The Arab territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the data below. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President Bush's post-Gulf crisis peace initiative, the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The Camp David Accords further specify that these negotiations will resolve the location of the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be determined (see West Bank and Gaza Strip entries). On 25 April 1982 Israel relinquished control of the Sinai to Egypt. Statistics for the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are included in the Syria entry.

Agriculture

accounts for 11% of GDP and 15% 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 $11.4 billion; expenditures $12.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (1992 est.)

Currency

Irish pound (plural - pounds); 1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence

Economic aid

donor - ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million

Electricity

4,957,000 kW capacity; 14,480 million kWh produced, 4,080 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

Irish pounds (#Ir) per US$1 - 0.6227 (March 1992), 0.6190 (1991), 0.6030 (1990), 0.7472 (1989), 0.6553 (1988), 0.6720 (1987)

Exports

$27.8 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products partners: EC 74% (UK 34%, Germany 11%, France 10%), US 8%

External debt

$14.8 billion (1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $39.2 billion, per capita $11,200; real growth rate 1.3% (1991 est.)

Imports

$24.5 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: food, animal feed, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing partners: EC 66% (UK 41%, Germany 9%, France 4%), US 14%

Industrial production

growth rate 3.0% (1991); accounts for 37% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.8% (1991)

Overview

The economy is small, open, and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 26% of the labor force. The government has successfully reduced the rate of inflation from double-digit figures in the late 1970s to 3.8% in 1991. In 1987, after years of deficits, the balance of payments was brought into the black. Unemployment, however, remains a serious problem. A 1991 unemployment rate of 20.4% placed Ireland along with Spain as the countries with the worst jobless records in Western Europe.

Unemployment rate

20.4% (1991)

Climate

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

Coastline

1,448 km

Comparative area

slightly larger than West Virginia

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)

Environment

deforestation

Land area

68,890 km2

Land boundaries

360 km; UK 360 km

Land use

arable land 14%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 71%; forest and woodland 5%; other 10%

Maritime claims

Continental shelf: no precise definition Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

zinc, lead, natural gas, crude oil, 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

Total area

70,280 km2

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

Communists

under 500

Constitution

29 December 1937; adopted 1937

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Dermot GALLAGHER; Chancery at 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3939; there are Irish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco US: Ambassador Richard A. MOORE; Embassy at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin; telephone [353] (1) 688777; FAX [353] (1) 689-946

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 17 February 1987 (next to be held February 1992); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 16, Labor 3, independents 11 House of Representatives: last held on 12 July 1989 (next to be held June 1994); results - Fianna Fail 44.0%, Fine Gael 29.4%, Labor Party 9.3%, Progressive Democrats 5.4%, Workers' Party 4.9%, Sinn Fein 1.1%, independents 5.9%; seats - (166 total) Fianna Fail 77, Fine Gael 55, Labor Party 15, Workers' Party 7, Progressive Democrats 6, independents 6

Executive branch

president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Flag

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of the Ivory Coast, 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

Independence

6 December 1921 (from UK)

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)

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)

Long-form name

none

Member of

AG, BIS, CCC, CE, 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, NEA, NSG, OECD, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC

National holiday

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Political parties and leaders

Fianna Fail, Albert REYNOLDS; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Workers' Party (vacant); Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY; note - Prime Minister REYNOLDS heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

republic

Birth rate

15 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

Celtic, with English minority

Infant mortality rate

8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

1,333,000; services 57.0%, manufacturing and construction 26.1%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 15.0%, energy and mining 1.9% (1991)

Languages

Irish (Gaelic) and English; English is the language generally used, with Gaelic spoken in a few areas, mostly along the western seaboard

Life expectancy at birth

72 years male, 78 years female (1992)

Literacy

98% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)

Nationality

noun - Irishman(men), Irish (collective pl.); adjective - Irish

Net migration rate

-4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

58% of labor force (1991)

Population

3,521,207 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)

Religions

Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981)

Total fertility rate

2.0 children born/woman (1992)