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 1949, 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 is gradually being implemented despite some difficulties. In 2006, the Irish and British governments developed and began to implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.

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

slightly larger than West Virginia

1,448 km

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

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

NA

46.8 cu km (2003)

NA

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

4,203,200 (July 2009 est.)

1.12% (2009 est.)

14.23 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

7.75 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

4.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

1.85 children born/woman (2009 est.)

0.2% (2007 est.)

5,500 (2007 est.)

fewer than 100 (2007 est.)

Irish 87.4%, other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 census)

Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 census)

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

4.7% of GDP (2005)

republic, parliamentary democracy

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 the 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 members 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 [Brian COWEN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [John GORMLEY]; Labor Party [Eamon GILMORE]; Progressive Democrats [Ciaran CANNON] (disbanding); Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Mick FINNEGAN]

Families Acting for Innocent Relatives or FAIR [Brian McCONNELL] (seek compensation for victims of violence); Families Against Intimidation and Terror or FAIT (oppose terrorism); Gaeltacht Civil Rights Campaign (Coiste Cearta Sibhialta na Gaeilge) or CCSG (encourages the use of the Irish language and campaigns for greater civil rights in Irish speaking areas); Irish Republican Army or IRA (terrorist group); Keep Ireland Open (environmental group); Midland Railway Action Group or MRAG [Willie ALLEN] (transportation promoters); Rail Users Ireland (formerly the Platform 11 - transportation promoters); 32 Country Sovereignty Movement or 32CSM (supports a fully sovereign Ireland); Ulster Defence Association or UDA (terrorist group)

ADB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy. GDP growth averaged 6% in 1995-2007, but economic activity dropped sharply in 2008 and Ireland entered into a recession for the first time in more than a decade with the onset of the world financial crisis and subsequent severe slowdown in the property and construction markets. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Although the export sector, dominated by foreign multinationals, remains a key component of Ireland's economy, construction most recently fueled economic growth along with strong consumer spending and business investment. Property prices rose more rapidly in Ireland in the decade up to 2006 than in any other developed world economy. Per capita GDP also surged during Ireland's high-growth years, and in 2007 surpassed that of the United States. The Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, invest in infrastructure, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. In 2008 the COWEN government moved to guarantee all bank deposits, recapitalize the banking system, and establish partly-public venture capital funds in response to the country's economic downturn. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations.

$191.9 billion (2008 est.)

$195.3 billion (2007)

$184.2 billion (2006)

$285 billion (2008 est.)

-1.7% (2008 est.)

6% (2007 est.)

5.7% (2006 est.)

$46,200 (2008 est.)

$47,500 (2007 est.)

$45,300 (2006 est.)

2.27 million (2008 est.)

6.2% (2008 est.)

4.6% (2007 est.)

7% (2005 est.)

32 (2005)

19.8% of GDP (2008 est.)

31.5% of GDP (2008 est.)

4% (2008 est.)

4.9% (2007 est.)

3% (31 December 2008)

5% (31 December 2007)

NA% (31 December 2008)

6.52% (31 December 2007)

$501.2 billion (31 December 2008)

$545.2 billion (31 December 2007)

$144 billion (31 December 2007)

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

steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment; glass and crystal; software, tourism

5% (2007 est.)

25.77 billion kWh (2007 est.)

25.67 billion kWh (2006 est.)

82 million kWh (2007 est.)

1.412 billion kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

200,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

29,780 bbl/day (2005)

194,000 bbl/day (2005)

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

457 million cu m (2007 est.)

4.984 billion cu m (2007 est.)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

4.552 billion cu m (2007 est.)

9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

$-8.621 billion (2008 est.)

$128 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

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

UK 18.7%, US 17.9%, Belgium 14.5%, Germany 7.4%, France 5.8% (2007)

$91.27 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

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

UK 38.3%, US 11.3%, Germany 9.7%, Netherlands 5%, France 4.2% (2007)

$926.2 million (2006 est.)

$1.841 trillion (30 June 2007)

$216 billion (2008 est.)

$149.1 billion (2008 est.)

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)

2.112 million (2007)

4.94 million (2007)

AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

4 (many repeaters); (projected digital broadcasting scheduled to be launched in 2009) (2008)

.ie

1.242 million (2008)

1.708 million (2007)

37 (2008)

gas 1,550 km (2008)

956 km (pleasure craft only) (2008)

Cork, Dublin, Shannon Foynes

Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps (Aer-Chor na h-Eireann)) (2009)

17-25 years of age for male or female voluntary military service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service); enlistees 16 years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions; maximum obligation 12 years; 17-35 years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces; EU citizenship or 5-year residence in Ireland required (2008)

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

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; increasing consumption of South American cocaine; 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