Ireland Basic Facts
Official name Ireland
Capital Dublin
Area 70,273 square kilometres / 27,133 square miles
Administrative divisions (population)
Carlow 42,000 (1996)
Cavan 53,000 (1996)
Clare 94,000 (1996)
Cork 420,000 (1996)
Donegal 129,000 (1996)
Dublin 1,057,000 (1996)
Galway 189,000 (1996)
Kerry 126,000 (1996)
Kildare 135,000 (1996)
Kilkenny 75,000 (1996)
Laois 53,000 (1996)
Leitrim 25,000 (1996)
Limerick 165,000 (1996)
Longford 30,000 (1996)
Louth 92,000 (1996)
Mayo 111,000 (1996)
Meath 109,000 (1996)
Monaghan 51,000 (1996)
Offaly 59,000 (1996)
Roscommon 52,000 (1996)
Sligo 56,000 (1996)
Tipperary 133,000 (1996)
Waterford 95,000 (1996)
Westmeath 63,000 (1996)
Wexford 104,000 (1996)
Wicklow 102,000 (1996)
Largest cities (population)
Dublin 953,000 (1996)
Cork 180,000 (1996)
Limerick 79,000 (1996)
Galway 57,000 (1996)
Waterford 44,000 (1996)
Dundalk 30,000 (1996)
Bray 28,000 (1996)
Drogheda 25,000 (1996)
Swords 22,000 (1996)
Tralee 20,000 (1996)
Kilkenny 19,000 (1996)
Sligo 19,000 (1996)
Ennis 18,000 (1996)
Clonmel 16,000 (1996)
Wexford 16,000 (1996)
Athlone 16,000 (1996)
Carlow 15,000 (1996)
Naas 14,000 (1996)
Malahide 14,000 (1996)
Leixlip 13,000 (1996)
People
Population 3,647,348 (2000 Estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.41 per cent (2000 Estimate)
Population density 52 persons per square kilometre Estimate / 134 persons per square mile Estimate
Urbanization
Per cent urban 58 per cent (1998 Estimate)
Per cent rural 42 per cent (1998 Estimate)
Life expectancy
Total 76.6 years (2000 Estimate)
Female 79.5 years (2000 Estimate)
Male 73.8 years (2000 Estimate)
Infant mortality rate
6 deaths per 1,000 live births (2000 Estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 98 per cent (1995)
Female Not available
Male Not available
Ethnic divisions Celtic, English
Languages
Irish (Gaelic) is spoken mainly in areas along the western coast; English is the language generally used; both Irish and English are official languages
Religions
Roman Catholic 93 per cent
Church of Ireland (Anglican) 3 per cent
None or other 4 per cent
Government
Type of government Republic
Independence
6 December 1921 (from the United Kingdom)
Constitution 29 December 1937
Voting rights Universal at age 18
Membership of international organizations
CE, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICC, ICFTU, ICPO/Interpol, IEA, IFRCS, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, NEA, OECD, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WTO
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$) 81,949 million (1998)
GDP per capita (US$) 22,120 (1998)
GDP by economic sector
GDP, agriculture 5.6 per cent (1998)
GDP, industry Not available
GDP, services 60.6 per cent (1998)
National budget (US$)
Total revenue 23,889 million (1997)
Total expenditure 25,533 million (1997)
Monetary unit*
1 Irish pound, or punt (IR£), consisting of 100 pence
*Exchange rate is linked to the Euro currency. It was set at 0.787564 punts to 1 Euro (€) on December 31, 1998. The existing national currency will be replaced by the Euro in 2002.
Exports
Chemicals, data-processing equipment, industrial machinery, livestock, animal products
Imports
Food, animal feed, data-processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing
Major trading partners for exports
European Union (EU) countries (especially the United Kingdom, Germany, France), United States
Major trading partners for imports
EU countries (especially the United Kingdom, Germany, France), United States, Japan, Singapore
Industries
Food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transport equipment, glass and crystal
Agriculture
Principal crops: turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beet, wheat; livestock: meat and dairy products
Natural resources
Zinc, lead, natural gas, petroleum, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver
Sources:
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the individual country statistical bureaus. Population, population growth rate, infant mortality, and life expectancy data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center; International database, 2000; (www.census.gov). Population density data are from the individual country statistical bureaus, and the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center; International database, 2000; (www.census.gov). Largest cities population data and administrative divisions data are from the individual country statistical bureaus. Literacy rate data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database, 2000; (www.unesco.org). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database, 2000; (www.fao.org). Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook, as well as various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, SIL International; (www.sil.org).
Government section
Government, independence, constitution, and voting rights data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sector, and national budget data are from the World Bank database, 2000; (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, exports and imports, natural resources, agriculture, and industries information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook, and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications. All this information has been taken through indirect resources.
Note: Due to rounding, totals may not add up to 100 per cent.
<<back<<
*Check
latest currency conversion here
Australia Baltic
States Canada Central
Asia Greek Cyprus Ireland
Malaysia NZ Russia Singapore
South Africa Switzerland
Thailand
Turkey Turkish
Cyprus UK Ukraine
USA Contact
Us Encyclopedia Home
