Ireland is an island west of Europe, surrounded by the Atlantic and the Irish Sea. The geography of ancient Ireland is rooted in myth and legend, and so the degree of certainty about anything geographical diminishes the further back in time it is. The current division of the land is into four provinces – Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht. Most of Ulster, in the North, is still under English rule. The rest of Ireland (Éire) is now called the Republic of Ireland and is now an independent country. Since joining the European Union in 1973, the Republic of Ireland (Éire) has transformed itself from a largely agricultural society into a modern, technologically advanced economy. The island is shaped like a saucer in that agricultural lowlands make up most of the interior which includes considerable areas of bogs and lakes and it is surrounded by coastal mountains to the west, rising to over 1,000m in places.
Capital City of the Republic of Ireland:
Dublin
Agriculture:
turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products.
Climate:
Temperate maritime - modified by North Atlantic Current, mild winters, cool summers, consistently humid, overcast about half the time.
Currency:
Euro (formerly Irish pound – ‘Punt’)
Exports:
$102 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products.
Flag:
Ireland's flag is made of three equal-sized rectangles of orange, white and green. The green is by the flagpole.
Highest Point:
The highest point in Ireland is Carrauntoohil, which is 3,414 feet (1,041 m) tall, located in south western Ireland, near Killarney.
Imports: $65.47 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing.
Lowest Point:
The lowest points in Ireland are at sea level (the level of the Atlantic Ocean).
Land area:
26,598 sq mi (68,889 sq km); total area: 27,135 sq mi (70,280 sq km)
Land use:
Arable land: 14% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 71% forest and woodland: 5% other: 10%
Languages:
Gaelic (Irish) and English.
Literacy rate:
99%
Major Rivers: Major rivers in Ireland include the Shannon River, the Blackwater River, the Suir River, the Lee River, and the Inny River.
Major trading partners:
U.S., UK, Belgium, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy (2004).
Natural resources:
Zinc, lead, natural gas, petroleum, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver.
National Holiday:
Saint Patrick’s Day, 17 March.
National Symbols:
Shamrock, harp
Population:
4,109,086 (2007) 40% of the population resides within 60 miles of Dublin.
(Growth rate: 1.1%); birth rate: 14.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 5.2/1000; life expectancy: 77.9; density per sq mi: 154
Religions:
Roman Catholic 88%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 2%, none 4%
Size:
The Republic of Ireland covers 27,135 square miles (70,280 sq km). Of that 68,890 sq. km. (26,599 sq. miles) is land and 1,390 sq. km. (537 sq. miles) is water.
It occupies about 5/6 of the island of Ireland.
Terrain:
Mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains, sea cliffs on west coast.