Facts and stats about Ireland
Ireland is the third biggest island in the European continent. It is divided (politically) between The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland which is under the United Kingdom. Altogether, Ireland’s population is more than 6.4 million. Ireland has come out from a prolonged dispute and emerged as an independent nation during the concluding years of the 20th century. The Irish economy has overcome the global downturn and grew by 0.4 percent last year. However, this was considered weak since economists projected a 1.3 percent growth for 2013. The European Commission predicted that there will be 2.2 percent increase before the current year ends.
This republic has a parliamentary and representative democratic form of government. It is a member of the European Union. Religious freedom is a constitutional provision in Ireland with Christianity as the major religion and the Roman Catholic Church as the biggest church. Ireland is a neutral nation with “Triple Lock” policies regulating the involvement of Irish military units in conflict areas. It must first be approved by the United Nations, Irish Parliament and executive branch of government. For more than one decade, Ireland has collaborated with NATO closely to enhance peace and security in support of UN-recognized operations. It is one of the smaller EU countries that espouse a non-aligned international policy.
The Irish Government maintains active participation in EU policy-making. It coordinates its foreign laws with other members of the Union in accordance with the Common Foreign and Security Policy as well as the European Political Cooperation. The Republic of Ireland held the EU presidency for the seventh instance from January to July of 2013.
- Agriculture 126
- Background 11
- Conflict 5
- Cost of living 55
- Crime 122
- Culture 37
- Disasters 34
- Economy 2991
- Education 482
- Energy 1248
- Environment 255
- Geography 84
- Government 259
- Health 338
- Import 6
4.78 million
Population. Ranked 119th in 2013.
$45,835.75
GDP per capita. Ranked 15th in 2012.
68,890 sq km
Sq. km. Ranked 115th in 2008.