|
IRELAND
Map of IRELAND
|
Location:
|
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
53 00 N, 8 00 W |
|
Area:
|
total: 70,280 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly larger than West Virginia |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 360 km
border countries: UK 360 km |
|
Coastline:
|
1,448 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
|
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 |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 16.82%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 83.15% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
NA |
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
46.8 cu km (2003) |
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
total: 1.18 cu km/yr (23%/77%/0%)
per capita: 284 cu m/yr (1994) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
NA |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation |
|
Population:
|
4,156,119 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 20.9% (male 448,333/female 418,476)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,400,222/female 1,398,194)
65 years and over: 11.8% (male 218,459/female 272,435) (2008 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Irish 87.4%, other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 census) |
|
Religions:
|
Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 census) |
|
Languages:
|
English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.) |
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland
local long form: none
local short form: Eire |
|
Government type:
|
republic, parliamentary democracy |
|
Capital:
|
name: Dublin
geographic coordinates: 53 19 N, 6 14 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
|
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 by treaty) |
|
National holiday:
|
Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Source: http://cia.gov
|
Go Back |
