IRELAND
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LAND
68,894 km2 ; 17% arable, 51% meadows and pastures, 3% forested, 2% inland water, 27% waste and urban
Land boundaries: 360 km
WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 3 nm (fishing 200 nm)
Coastline: 1,448 km
PEOPLE
Population: 3,533,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.5%
Nationality: noun—Irishman(men), Irish (collective pl.); adjective—Irish
Ethnic divisions: racially homogeneous Celts
Religion: 94% Roman Catholic, 4% Anglican, 2% other
Language: English and Gaelic official; English is generally spoken
Literacy: 98%-99%
Labor force: about 1,133,000 (1978); 26% agriculture, forestry, fishing; 19% manufacturing; 15% commerce; 7% construction; 5% transportation; 4% government; 24% other; 7.8% unemployment (August 1979)
Organized labor: 36% of labor force
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Ireland, Eire (Gaelic)
Type: republic
Capital: Dublin
Political subdivisions: 26 counties
Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; constitution adopted 1937; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: St. Patrick's Day, 17 March
Branches: elected President; bicameral parliament reflecting proportional and vocational representation; judiciary appointed by President on advice of government
Government leaders: President Patrick HILLERY; Prime Minister Charles HAUGHEY; Deputy Prime Minister Raymond MACSHARRY
Suffrage: universal over age 18
Elections: Dail (lower house) elected every five years—last election February 1982; President elected for seven-year term—last election November 1976
Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail, Charles Haughey; Labor Party, Michael O'Leary; Fine Gael, Garret Fitzgerald; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'Riordan; Sinn Fein the Workers' Party (SFWP), Tomas MacGiolla
Voting strength: (1982 election) Fianna Fail (81 seats), Fine Gael (63 seats), Labor Party (15 seats), Sinn Fein the Workers' Party (3 seats), independents (4 seats)
Communists: approximately 600
Member of: Council of Europe, EC, EEC, ESRO (observer), EURATOM, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICES, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
ECONOMY
GNP: $17.1 billion (1980), $5,000 per capita; 63.8% consumption, 30.1% investment, 22.2% government, —2.5% inventories and net factor income; —14.0% net foreign demand
Agriculture: 70% of agricultural area used for permanent hay and pasture; main products—livestock and dairy products, turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; 85% self-sufficient; food shortages—grains, fruits, vegetables; caloric intake 3,510 calories per day per capita (1970)
Fishing: catch 108,434 metric tons (1978); exports of fish and fish products $66.5 million (1979), imports of fish and fish products $26.0 million (1979)
Major industries: food products, brewing, textiles and clothing, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, machinery and transportation equipment
Shortages: coal, petroleum, timber and woodpulp, steel and nonferrous metals, fertilizers, cereals and animal feed, textile fibers and textiles
Crude steel: 66,000 metric tons produced in 1978
Electric power: 3,117,000 kW capacity (1980); 10.889 million kWh produced (1980), 3,170 kWh per capita
Exports: $8,322.0 million (f.o.b., 1980); dairy products, live animals, textiles, chemicals, machinery, clothing
Imports: $11,153.0 million (c.i.f., 1980); petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, chemicals, manufactured goods, cereals
