Ireland Overview
| The Republic of Ireland lies in the north Atlantic Ocean and is separated from Britain by the Irish Sea to the east. The northeastern part of the island (Northern Ireland) is part of the United Kingdom. The country has a central plain surrounded by a rim of mountains and hills offering some of the most varied and unspoilt scenery in Europe – quiet sandy beaches, semi-tropical bays warmed by the Gulf Stream, and rugged cliffs make up the 5600km (3500 miles) of coastline. |
| 70,182 sq km (27,097 sq miles). |
| Republic. Head of State: President Mary McAleese since 1997. Head of Government: Prime Minister Bertie Ahern since 1997. Recent history: At the 1997 election for the Dáil (lower chamber of Parliament), once again no single party secured an overall majority. Fianna Fáil leader Bertie Ahern formed a new Government in alliance with the support of the small Progressive Democrats (a split from Fianna Fáil) and several independents. Ahern’s new administration officially took office at the end of June with Mary Harney of the PD as Deputy Prime Minister (Tanaiste), the first woman ever to hold the position. Ahern’s relatively successful tenure ensured that the electorate returned his Fianna Fáil-led coalition with an increased majority at the most recent poll in May 2002. Since 1949, Ireland has been a republic with a bicameral legislature: the lower house, the Dáil, has 166 members and is directly elected by universal adult suffrage every five years; the 60-strong Senate has 49 directly elected members with the balance made up of political appointees. Executive power is vested in the Taioseach (Prime Minister) who presides over a Cabinet of Ministers. The cabinet is responsible to the Dáil for its actions. |
| 4 million (UN, 2004). |
| 56.9 per sq km. |
| Irish (Gaelic) is the official language, spoken as a first language by about 55,000 people (mostly in the west). The majority speak English. Official documents are printed in both languages. |
| Roman Catholic 91.6 per cent, the remainder being Protestant, with Jewish and Islamic minorities. |
| GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October). |
| Dublin. Population: 1 million. |
| 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Three-pin plugs are in use. |
