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

4,250,163 (July 2010 est.)

1.102% (2010 est.)

14.1 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

7.73 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

4.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

1.85 children born/woman (2010 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

29 counties and 5 cities*; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Cork*, Donegal, Dublin*, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway, Galway*, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Limerick*, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, North Tipperary, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, South Dublin, South Tipperary, Waterford, 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 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 or PD [Noel GREALISH] (formerly dissolved on 20 November 2009); Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Michael 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); Iona Institute [David QUINN] (a conservative Catholic think tank); Irish Anti-War Movement [Richard Boyd BARRETT] (campaigns against wars around the world); Irish Republican Army or IRA (terrorist group); Keep Ireland Open (environmental group); Midland Railway Action Group or MRAG [Willie ALLEN] (transportation promoters); Peace and Neutrality Alliance [Roger COLE] (campaigns to protect Irish neutrality); 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, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; officially the flag colors have no meaning, but a common interpretation is that the green represents the Irish nationalist (Gaelic) tradition of Ireland; orange represents the Orange tradition (minority supporters of William of Orange); white symbolizes peace (or a lasting truce) between the green and the orange

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy. Ireland joined 11 other EU nations in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002. GDP growth averaged 6% in 1995-2007, but economic activity dropped sharply in 2008-09 as GDP fell by 3% in 2008 and nearly 8% in 2009. 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 2007 than in any other developed economy. However, average home prices have fallen 50% from the 2007 peak. 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. In 2009, in an effort to stabilize the banking sector, the Irish Government announced the establishment of the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), which will acquire property and development loans with a book value of more than $100 billion from Irish banks. Faced with a need to bring the budget deficit down under the 3% EMU limit by 2014, the Irish Government introduced the first in a series of draconian budgets in 2009. In addition to across-the-board cuts in spending, the 2009 budget included wage reductions for all public servants.

$176.9 billion (2009 est.)

$191.3 billion (2008 est.)

$197.2 billion (2007 est.)

$229.4 billion (2009 est.)

-7.5% (2009 est.)

-3% (2008 est.)

6% (2007 est.)

$42,200 (2009 est.)

$46,000 (2008 est.)

$48,000 (2007 est.)

2.2 million (2009 est.)

12% (2009 est.)

6.3% (2008 est.)

4.2% (2008 est.)

30.7 (2008)

35.9 (1987)

15.4% of GDP (2009 est.)

63.7% of GDP (2009 est.)

44.2% of GDP (2008 est.)

-1.7% (2009 est.)

4.1% (2008 est.)

3% (31 December 2008)

5% (31 December 2007)

6.76% (31 December 2008)

6.52% (31 December 2007)

$NA

$NA

$738.6 billion (31 December 2008)

$545.2 billion (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$144 billion (31 December 2007)

$163.4 billion (31 December 2006)

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.)

26.06 billion kWh (2007 est.)

25.12 billion kWh (2007 est.)

303 million kWh (2008 est.)

753 million kWh (2008 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

188,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

22,710 bbl/day (2008 est.)

190,800 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

438 million cu m (2008 est.)

5.217 billion cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

4.798 billion cu m (2008 est.)

9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

-$5.308 billion (2009 est.)

-$13.88 billion (2008 est.)

$107.3 billion (2009 est.)

$119.8 billion (2008 est.)

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

US 18.9%, UK 18.4%, Belgium 14.6%, Germany 6.9%, France 5.8%, Spain 4.2% (2008)

$64.9 billion (2009 est.)

$84.82 billion (2008 est.)

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

UK 37.6%, US 11.6%, Germany 8.6%, Netherlands 5.6% (2008)

$NA (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.023 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$2.287 trillion (30 September 2009)

$2.356 trillion (31 December 2008)

$174.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$179 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$157.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$152.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005)

2.202 million (2008)

5.048 million (2008)

AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

4 (many repeaters) (2008)

.ie

1.303 million (2009)

2.83 million (2008)

39 (2009)

gas 1,550 km (2009)

956 km (pleasure craft only) (2008)

Cork, Dublin, Shannon Foynes

Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army, Naval Service, Air Corps (2010)

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