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History: The third largest island in Europe, is divided into a sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland, that covers about five-sixths of the island (south, east, west and north-west), and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, covering the northeastern sixth of the island.
Politically, Ireland is divided into:
The Republic of Ireland, with its capital Dublin. Ireland and "Eire" are the official names of the state - in English and Irish respectively - while the "Republic of Ireland" is its official description. It is called "the South" or "the Republic" by many residents of Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, is often unofficially referred to as "The North" (by nationalists and residents in the Republic of Ireland), "the Six Counties," by nationalists, and "Ulster," by unionists (although the historic province of Ulster also includes the counties Donegal, Cavan, and Monaghan, which are in the Republic).
Prior to the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and Partition Ireland had been a unified political entity within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which came into being in 1801 as a result of the Act of Union. From 1541, the Kingdom of Ireland was established by the King of England, though this realm did not cover the whole island till the early 17th century. Up to then, Ireland had been politically divided into a number of different Irish kingdoms (Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Mide, Ulster, and others). Before the advent of the Normans the different kingdoms were augmented by a High Kingship. The extent of power or influence of the High Kings throughout the entire country varied from reign to reign.
Location: Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain.
Area: total: 70,280 sq km.
Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time.
Population: 4,062,235 (July 2006 est.)
Ethnic groups: Celtic, English.
Religions: Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census)
Languages: English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (official) (Gaelic or Gaeilge) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard.
Government type: republic, parliamentary democracy.
Capital: Dublin.
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.
Constitution: adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937.
Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
Executive branch: 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.
Legislative branch: 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).
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet).
Flag description: 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: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 7% in 1995-2004. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and 29% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Per capita GDP is 10% above that of the four big European economies and the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations.
Agriculture - products: turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products.
Industries: steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, ship construction and refurbishment; glass and crystal; software, tourism.
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2005 est.).
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products.
Exports - partners: US 18.7%, UK 17.4%, Belgium 15.2%, Germany 7.4%, France 6.4%, Netherlands 4.8% (2005).
Exports: $102 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.).
Imports - commodities: data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing.
Imports - partners: UK 37%, US 13.8%, Germany 9.2%, Netherlands 4.5% (2005).
Imports: $65.47 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.).
Debt - external: $1.049 trillion (30 June 2005).
Currency (code): euro (EUR).
Fiscal year: calendar year
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