Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/116.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 10.8 KB | 382 lines

@node Geography (Ireland)
@section Geography (Ireland)

@display

Location:
  in the North Atlantic Ocean, across the Irish Sea from Great Britain
Map references:
  Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  70,280 km2
 land area:
  68,890 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
  total 360 km, UK 360 km
Coastline:
  1,448 km
Maritime claims:
 continental shelf:
  not specified
 exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  Northern Ireland question with the UK; Rockall continental shelf dispute
  involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a
  boundary agreement in the Rockall area)
Climate:
  temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool
  summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Terrain:
  mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low
  mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Natural resources:
  zinc, lead, natural gas, petroleum, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone,
  dolomite, peat, silver
Land use:
 arable land:
  14%
 permanent crops:
  0%
 meadows and pastures:
  71%
 forest and woodland:
  5%
 other:
  10%
Irrigated land:
  NA km2
Environment:
  deforestation
Note:
  strategic location on major air and sea routes between North American and
  northern Europe



@end display

@node People (Ireland)
@section People (Ireland)

@display

Population:
  3,529,566 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.26% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  14.39 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  8.71 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -3.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  75.38 years
 male:
  72.56 years
 female:   78.36 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.02 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Irishman(men), Irishwoman(men), Irish (collective plural)
 adjective:
  Irish
Ethnic divisions:
  Celtic, English
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981)
Languages:
  Irish (Gaelic), spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard,
  English is the language generally used
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
 total population:
  98%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  1.37 million
 by occupation:
  services 57.0%, manufacturing and construction 28%, agriculture, forestry,
  and fishing 13.5%, energy and mining 1.5% (1992)



@end display

@node Government (Ireland)
@section Government (Ireland)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  none
 conventional short form:
  Ireland
Digraph:
  EI
Type:
  republic
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)
Constitution:
  29 December 1937; adopted 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
National holiday:
  Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Political parties and leaders:
  Democratic Left, Proinsias DE ROSSA; Fianna Fail, Albert REYNOLDS; Labor
  Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland,
  Michael O'RIORDAN; Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond
  O'MALLEY
 note:
  Prime Minister REYNOLDS heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna Fail and
  the Labor Party
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Elections:
 President:
  last held 9 November 1990 (next to be held November 1997); results - Mary
  Bourke ROBINSON 52.8%, Brian LENIHAN 47.2%
 Senate:
  last held on NA February 1992 (next to be held February 1997); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 26,
  Fine Gael 16, Labor 9, Progressive Democrats 2, Democratic Left 1,
  independents 6
 House of Representatives:
  last held on 25 November 1992 (next to be held by June 1995); results -
  Fianna Fail 39.1%, Fine Gael 24.5%, Labor Party 19.3%, Progressive Democrats
  4.7%, Democratic Left 2.8%, Sinn Fein 1.6%, Workers' Party 0.7%,
  independents 5.9%; seats - (166 total) Fianna Fail 68, Fine Gael 45, Labor
  Party 33, Progressive Democrats 10, Democratic Left 4, Greens 1,
  independents 5
Executive branch:
  president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) consists of an upper house or Senate
  (Seanad Eireann) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dail
  Eireann)



@end display

@node Government (Ireland 2. usage)
@section Government (Ireland 2. usage)

@display

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990)
 Head of Government:
  Prime Minister Albert REYNOLDS (since 11 February 1992)
Member of:
  Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, COCOM (cooperating country), CSCE, EBRD, EC,
  ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
  IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG,
  OECD, ONUSAL, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM,
  UNPROFRO, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Dermot A. GALLAGHER  chancery:
  2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008
 telephone:
  [phone]
 consulates general:
  Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador William Henry G. FITZGERALD; Ambassador Designate Jean Kennedy
  SMITH (17 March 1993)
 embassy:
  42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
 mailing address:
  use embassy street address
 telephone:
  [353] (1) 687122
 FAX:
  [353] (1) 689946
Flag:
  three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar
  to the flag of the 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



@end display

@node Economy (Ireland)
@section Economy (Ireland)

@display

Overview:
  The economy is small and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most
  important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37% of GDP,
  about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor force. Since 1987, real
  GDP growth, led by exports, has averaged 4% annually. Over the same period,
  inflation has fallen sharply and chronic trade deficits have been
  transformed into annual surpluses. Unemployment, at 22.7% remains a serious
  problem, however, and job creation is the main focus of government policy.
  To ease unemployment, Dublin aggressively courts foreign investors and
  recently created a new industrial development agency to aid small indigenous
  firms. Government assistance is constrained by Dublin's continuing deficit
  reduction measures. After five years of fiscal restraint, total government
  debt still exceeds GDP. Growth probably will moderate in 1993 as the heavily
  indebted and trade-dependent economy is highly sensitive to changes in
  exchange rates and world interest rates. Exports to the UK, Ireland's major
  export market, probably will be hurt by the recent appreciation of the Irish
  currency against sterling - for the first time since 1979 the value of the
  Irish pound exceeds that of its British counterpart.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $42.4 billion (1992)
National product real growth rate:
  2% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $12,000 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.5% (1992)
Unemployment rate:   22.7% (1992)
Budget:
  revenues $16.0 billion; expenditures $16.6 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $1.6 billion (1992 est.)
Exports:
  $28.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
 commodities:
  chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals,
  animal products
 partners:
  EC 75% (UK 32%, Germany 13%, France 10%), US 9%
Imports:
  $23.3 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
 commodities:
  food, animal feed, data processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum
  products, machinery, textiles, clothing
 partners:
  EC 66% (UK 41%, Germany 8%, Netherlands 4%), US 15%
External debt:
  $15 billion (1990)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 8.0% (1992 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP
Electricity:
  5,000,000 kW capacity; 14,500 million kWh produced, 4,120 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
  machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal



@end display

@node Economy (Ireland 2. usage)
@section Economy (Ireland 2. usage)

@display

Agriculture:
  accounts for 11% of GDP and 13% of the labor force; principal crops -
  turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; livestock - meat and dairy
  products; 85% self-sufficient in food; food shortages include bread grain,
  fruits, vegetables
Economic aid:
  donor - ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million
Currency:
  1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence
Exchange rates:
  Irish pounds (#Ir) per US$1 - 0.6118 (January 1993), 0.5864 (1992), 0.6190
  (1991), 0.6030 (1990), 0.7472 (1989), 0.6553 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year



@end display

@node Communications (Ireland)
@section Communications (Ireland)

@display

Railroads:
  Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge,
  government owned; 485 km double track; 37 km electrified
Highways:   92,294 km total; 87,422 km paved, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways:
  limited for commercial traffic
Pipelines:
  natural gas 225 km
Ports:
  Cork, Dublin, Waterford
Merchant marine:
  57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 154,647 GRT/186,432 DWT; includes 4
  short-sea passenger, 33 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 4 container, 3 oil
  tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 5 bulk
Airports:
 total:
  40
 usable:
  39
 with permanent-surface runways:
  13
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  6
Telecommunications:
  modern system using cable and digital microwave circuits; 900,000
  telephones; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 45 FM, 86 TV; 2 coaxial submarine
  cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Ireland)
@section Defense Forces (Ireland)

@display

Branches:
  Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda
  Siochana)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 903,536; fit for military service 731,085; reach military
  age (17) annually 33,932 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $569 million, 1-2% of GDP (1993 est.)



@end display