Legend:
Definition
Field Listing
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Background:
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A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. In 1948 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, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is currently being implemented.
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Location:
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Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
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Geographic coordinates:
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53 00 N, 8 00 W
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total: 70,280 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than West Virginia
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Land boundaries:
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total: 360 km
border countries: UK 360 km
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Coastline:
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1,448 km
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
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Terrain:
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mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m
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Natural resources:
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zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver
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Land use:
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arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 80% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - current issues:
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water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation
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Geography - note:
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strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 97 km of Dublin
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Population:
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3,883,159 (July 2002 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 21.3% (male 425,366; female 403,268)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,307,469; female 1,305,038)
65 years and over: 11.4% (male 191,927; female 250,091) (2002 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.07% (2002 est.)
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Birth rate:
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14.62 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Death rate:
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8.01 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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4.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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5.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.17 years
female: 80.12 years (2002 est.)
male: 74.41 years
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Total fertility rate:
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1.9 children born/woman (2002 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (1999 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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2,200 (1999 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (1999 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish
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Ethnic groups:
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Celtic, English
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998)
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Languages:
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English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1981 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Dublin
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Administrative divisions:
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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
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Independence:
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6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)
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National holiday:
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Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
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Constitution:
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29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite
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Legal system:
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based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA November 2004); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president
note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats
election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats - 49 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)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 29, Fine Gael 16, Labor Party 4, Progressive Democrats 4, others 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 80, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5, others 15
elections: Senate - last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA August 2002); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Michael NOONAN]; Green Party [Trevor SARGENT]; Labor Party [Ruairi QUINN]; Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Tom FRENCH]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Richard J. EGAN
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [353] (1) 668-7122/668-8777
FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 9% in 1995-2001. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 38% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Over the past decade, the Irish government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations. The economy felt the impact of the global economic slowdown in 2001, particularly in the high-tech export sector; the growth rate was cut by nearly half. Growth in 2002 is expected to fall in the 3%-5% range.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $104.7 billion (2001 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.6% (2001 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $27,300 (2001 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 4%
industry: 38%
services: 58% (2000)
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Population below poverty line:
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10% (1997 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 27.3% (1997)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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35.9 (1987)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.9% (2001)
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Labor force:
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1.8 million (2001)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 64%, industry 28%, agriculture 8% (2000 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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4.3% (2001)
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Budget:
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revenues: $34 billion
expenditures: $27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
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Industries:
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food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal; software
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Industrial production growth rate:
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6.5% (2001 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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22.285 billion kWh (2000)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 94.86%
hydro: 3.77%
other: 1.37% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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20.823 billion kWh (2000)
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Electricity - exports:
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71 million kWh (2000)
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Electricity - imports:
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169 million kWh (2000)
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Agriculture - products:
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turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products
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Exports:
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$75.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
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Exports - partners:
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EU 63% (UK 20%, Germany 11%, France 8%, Netherlands 6%, Belgium 5%), US 20% (2000)
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Imports:
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$49.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
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Imports - commodities:
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data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
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Imports - partners:
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EU 61% (UK 33%, Germany 6%, France 5%, Netherlands 4%), US 16%, Japan 4% (2000)
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Debt - external:
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$11 billion (1998)
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $283 million (2001)
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Currency:
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euro (EUR); Irish pound (IEP)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
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Currency code:
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EUR; IEP
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Exchange rates:
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euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Irish pounds per US dollar - 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Railways:
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total: 3,314 km
broad gauge: 1,949 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km electrified; 485 km double-tracked)
narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briqueting plants) (2001)
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Highways:
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total: 92,500 km
paved: 87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,457 km (1999 est.)
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Waterways:
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700 km (limited facilities for commercial traffic) (1998)
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Pipelines:
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natural gas 7,592 km (transmission 1,158 km; distribution 6,434 km) (2000)
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Ports and harbors:
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Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross, Waterford
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Merchant marine:
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total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 110,741 GRT/127,342 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 2 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 20, container 1, short-sea passenger 1
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Airports:
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41 (2001)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 17
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 7 (2001)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 22 (2001)
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This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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