# The World Factbook (1982)/Ireland
## IRELANDIRELAND

* (See reference map V)

### LANDLAND

68,894 km$^2$ ; 17% arable, 51% meadows and pastures, 3% forested, 2% inland water, 27% waste and urban
Land boundaries: 360 km

### WATERWATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 3 nm (fishing 200 nm)
Coastline: 1,448 km

### PEOPLEPEOPLE

Population: 3,533,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.5%
Nationality: noun—Irishman(men), Irish (collective pl.); adjective—Irish
Ethnic divisions: racially homogeneous Celts
Religion: 94% Roman Catholic, 4% Anglican, 2% other
Language: English and Gaelic official; English is generally spoken
Literacy: 98%-99%
Labor force: about 1,133,000 (1978); 26% agriculture, forestry, fishing; 19% manufacturing; 15% commerce; 7% construction; 5% transportation; 4% government; 24% other; 7.8% unemployment (August 1979)
Organized labor: 36% of labor force

### GOVERNMENTGOVERNMENT

Official name: Ireland, Eire (Gaelic)
Type: republic
Capital: Dublin
Political subdivisions: 26 counties
Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; constitution adopted 1937; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: St. Patrick's Day, 17 March
Branches: elected President; bicameral parliament reflecting proportional and vocational representation; judiciary appointed by President on advice of government
Government leaders: President Patrick HILLERY; Prime Minister Charles HAUGHEY; Deputy Prime Minister Raymond MACSHARRY
Suffrage: universal over age 18
Elections: Dail (lower house) elected every five years—last election February 1982; President elected for seven-year term—last election November 1976
Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail, Charles Haughey; Labor Party, Michael O'Leary; Fine Gael, Garret Fitzgerald; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'Riordan; Sinn Fein the Workers' Party (SFWP), Tomas MacGiolla
Voting strength: (1982 election) Fianna Fail (81 seats), Fine Gael (63 seats), Labor Party (15 seats), Sinn Fein the Workers' Party (3 seats), independents (4 seats)
Communists: approximately 600
Member of: Council of Europe, EC, EEC, ESRO (observer), EURATOM, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICES, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

### ECONOMYECONOMY

GNP: $17.1 billion (1980), $5,000 per capita; 63.8% consumption, 30.1% investment, 22.2% government, —2.5% inventories and net factor income; —14.0% net foreign demand
Agriculture: 70% of agricultural area used for permanent hay and pasture; main products—livestock and dairy products, turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; 85% self-sufficient; food shortages—grains, fruits, vegetables; caloric intake 3,510 calories per day per capita (1970)
Fishing: catch 108,434 metric tons (1978); exports of fish and fish products $66.5 million (1979), imports of fish and fish products $26.0 million (1979)
Major industries: food products, brewing, textiles and clothing, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, machinery and transportation equipment
Shortages: coal, petroleum, timber and woodpulp, steel and nonferrous metals, fertilizers, cereals and animal feed, textile fibers and textiles
Crude steel: 66,000 metric tons produced in 1978
Electric power: 3,117,000 kW capacity (1980); 10.889 million kWh produced (1980), 3,170 kWh per capita
Exports: $8,322.0 million (f.o.b., 1980); dairy products, live animals, textiles, chemicals, machinery, clothing
Imports: $11,153.0 million (c.i.f., 1980); petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, chemicals, manufactured goods, cereals
​Major trade partners: 74.1% EC (42.7% UK); 8.0% US and Canada
Budget: (1980 actual) 3,702 million pounds expenditures, 3,155 million pounds revenues, 547 million pounds deficit, public sector borrowing requirement 1,316 million pounds; (1981 est.) 4,719 million pounds expenditures, 3,932 million pounds revenues, 787 million pounds deficit, public sector borrowing requirement 1,637 million pounds
Monetary conversion rate: 1 Irish pound=US$2.0580 (1980 average)
Fiscal year: calendar year

### COMMUNICATIONSCOMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: 2,190 km 1.600-meter gauge, government owned
Highways: 92,294 km total; 87,422 km surfaced, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways: approximately 1,000 km
Ports: 6 major, 38 minor
Civil air: 36 major transport aircraft, including 2 leased in and 4 out
Airfields: 38 total, 37 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: small, modern system using cable and radio-relay circuits; 586,000 telephones (17.2 per 100 popl.); 15 AM, 14 FM, and 59 TV stations; 2 coaxial submarine cables; planned satellite station

### DEFENSE FORCESDEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, 807,000; 662,000 fit for military service; about 33,000 reach military age (17) annually
Military budget: for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $222 million; about 4.0% of the central government budget