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NAVIGATION
Ireland
GOVERNMENT
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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
note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province |
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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 election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6% note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats 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 |
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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 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive Democrats 4, independents and others 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party 3.8%, others 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5, others 14 elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007); 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 [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [Trevor SARGENT]; Labor Party [Pat RABBITTE]; 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 Noel FAHEY
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 |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 8% in 1995-2002. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 45% 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, 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 2001-02, particularly in the high-tech export sector; the growth rate was cut by half. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $111.3 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.9% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $28,500 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 4%
industry: 36% services: 60% (2001) |
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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% (1997) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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36 (1987) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.6% (2002 est.) |
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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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4.7% (2002 est.) |
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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% (2002 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: 95%
hydro: 4% other: 1% (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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$85.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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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 62.8% (UK 19.8%, Germany 11.3%, France 7.7%, Netherlands 5.6%, Belgium 4.8%), US 17.1% (2000) |
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Imports:
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$48.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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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 61.4% (UK 33.4%, Germany 5.9%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 3.5%), US 16.2%, Japan 4% (2000) |
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Debt - external:
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$11 billion (1998) (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 |