
Ó Cinnéide
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*IRELAND*
Location Western Europe
Area 81,638.1 km² (31,520.6 sq mi)
Coastline 3,700 km (2,300 mi)
Highest point Carrauntoohil (1,041 m (3,414 ft))
Largest city Dublin
Capital City Dublin
UK Constituent country Northern Ireland
Largest city Belfast
***Ireland lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain. Politically, the state Ireland (described as the Republic of Ireland) covers five-sixths of the island, with Northern Ireland covering the remainder in the north-east.
*DEMOGRAPHICS*
Population 5,981,448 (as of 2006)
Density 71 people/km² (2006)
Growth Rate 4.4% (2008)
Birth rate 18.1 births/1,000 population (2008)
Death rate 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2008)
Net migration rate 14.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008)
Fertility rate 1.85 children born/woman (2008)
Ethnic groups Irish
English
Welsh
Poles,
Americans,
Lithuanians,
Scots,
Nigerians,
Latvians,
Germans
Chinese
Languages English (94%)
Irish(gaelic) (42%)
Religion Roman Catholic 87.4%,
No Religion 6.2%,
Church of Ireland 2.9%,
Islam 0.8%,
Presbyterian 0.6%,
Orthodox 0.5%,
Methodist 0.3%,
Other 2.1% (2006).
Ethnic backgrounds White: 94.8% (including 0.5% Irish Traveller),
Asian: 1.3%,
Black: 1.1%,
Other/Mixed: 1.1%
Not Stated: 1.7% (2006)
Nationalities in Ireland Irish (including dual-Irish/other): 88.9%,
UK: 2.7%,
Other EU 25: 3.9%,
Other Europe: 0.6%
Africa: 0.8%,
Asia: 1.1%,
USA: 0.3%,
Other countries: 0.5%,
Multiple nationality: 0.1%,
Not stated: 1.1% (2006)
Flag Green, white and orange
National Anthem Amhran na bhfiann(The Soldiers Song')
*POLITICAL*
President Mary McAleese
Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen
Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Mary Coughlan
The parliament (the Oireachtas) consists of the President of Ireland, a Senate (Seanad Éireann) being the upper House, and a House of Representatives (Dáil Éireann) being the lower House. |