| | World Fact Book | Mark H. Solsman | Documentation Training and Publications, Center for Academic Computing | mhs108@psu.edu 10/19/93 I _@_Ireland Geography Total area: 70,280 km2 Land area: 68,890 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries: 360 km; UK 360 km Coastline: 1,448 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: no precise definition Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm 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, crude oil, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver Land use: arable land 14%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 71%; forest and woodland 5%; other 10% Environment: deforestation :Ireland People Population: 3,521,207 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992) Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: -4 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Irishman(men), Irish (collective pl.); adjective - Irish Ethnic divisions: Celtic, with English minority Religions: Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981) Languages: Irish (Gaelic) and English; English is the language generally used, with Gaelic spoken in a few areas, mostly along the western seaboard Literacy: 98% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981) 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) Organized labor: 58% of labor force (1991) :Ireland Government Long-form name: none 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 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) 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) 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 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 Communists: under 500 :Ireland Government 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 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 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 :Ireland Economy 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. GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $39.2 billion, per capita $11,200; real growth rate 1.3% (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.8% (1991) Unemployment rate: 20.4% (1991) Budget: revenues $11.4 billion; expenditures $12.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (1992 est.) 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% 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% External debt: $14.8 billion (1990) Industrial production: growth rate 3.0% (1991); accounts for 37% of GDP Electricity: 4,957,000 kW capacity; 14,480 million kWh produced, 4,080 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal 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 Economic aid: donor - ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million Currency: Irish pound (plural - pounds); 1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence 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) 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; 38 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, Shannon Estuary, Waterford 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 Civil air: 23 major transport aircraft 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 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 :Ireland Defense Forces Branches: Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (GARDA) Manpower availability: males 15-49, 894,421; 724,262 fit for military service; 34,182 reach military age (17) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $566 million, 1-2% of GDP (1992 est.) :Israel Header 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. .