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Communications

Airports [time series]

40 total, 37 usable; 18 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 [time series]

23 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

limited for commercial traffic

Merchant marine [time series]

53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 138,967 GRT/164,628 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 31 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 3 container, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 6 bulk

Pipelines [time series]

natural gas, 225 km

Ports [time series]

Cork, Dublin, Shannon Estuary, Waterford

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

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

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

small, modern system using cable and radio relay circuits; 900,000 telephones; stations--45 AM, 16 (29 relays) FM, 18 (68 relays) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$458 million, 1.6% of GDP (1990 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 871,578; 705,642 fit for military service; 33,175 reach military age (17) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 10% of GNP 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 [time series]

revenues $11.3 billion; expenditures $11.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (1990)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Irish pound (plural--pounds); 1 Irish pound (5Ir) = 100 pence

Economic aid [time series]

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

Electricity [time series]

4,957,000 kW capacity; 14,480 million kWh produced, 4,080 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

Irish pounds (5Ir) per US$1--0.5656 (January 1991), 0.6030 (1990), 0.7472 (1989), 0.6553 (1988), 0.6720 (1987), 0.7454 (1986), 0.9384 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$24.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products; partners--EC 74% (UK 34%, FRG 11%, France 10%), US 8%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$16.0 billion (1990)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$33.9 billion, per capita $9,690; real growth rate 4.1% (1990)

Imports [time series]

$20.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--food, animal feed, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing; partners--EC 66% (UK 41%, FRG 9%, France 4%), US 16%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 4.7% (1990); accounts for 37% of GDP

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

3.3% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 3.3% in 1990. In 1987, after years of deficits, the balance of payments was brought into the black. Unemployment, however, is a serious problem. A 1990 unemployment rate of 16.6% placed Ireland along with Spain as the countries with the worst jobless records in Western Europe.

Unemployment rate [time series]

16.6% (1990)

Geography

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

1,448 km Continental shelf: no precise definition; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than West Virginia

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

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 - current issues (Environment) [time series]

deforestation

Land boundaries (Land boundary) [time series]

360 km with UK

Land use [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Area (Total area) [time series]

70,280 km2; land area: 68,890 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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 [time series]

Dublin

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

under 500

Constitution [time series]

29 December 1937; adopted 1937

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Padraic N. MACKERNAN; 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

Executive branch [time series]

president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

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 [time series]

6 December 1921 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court Chief of State--President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990); Head of Government--Prime Minister Charles J. HAUGHEY (since 12 July 1989, the fourth time elected as Prime Minister) Fianna Fail, Charles HAUGHEY; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Workers' Party, Proinsias DEROSSA; Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY; note--Prime Minister HAUGHEY heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats

Legal system [time series]

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 [time series]

bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) consists of an upper house or Senate (Seanad Eireann) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dail Eireann)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

none

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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, OECD, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 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 NA 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

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

15 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Celtic, with English minority

Infant mortality rate [time series]

6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

1,293,000; services 57.0%, manufacturing and construction 26.1%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 15.0%, energy and mining 1.9% (1988)

Languages (Language) [time series]

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 [time series]

73 years male, 79 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

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

Nationality [time series]

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

Net migration rate [time series]

- 9 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

36% of labor force

Population [time series]

3,489,165 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.3% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.1 children born/woman (1991)