The object of waves of invasion from Europe, the Emerald Isle has been inhabited for 9,000 years. England began seizing land in the 1100s.
British troops enforce U.K. sovereignty in the Protestant-dominated districts of Northern Ireland.
Although sectarian violence has claimed 3,000 lives since 1969, hopes for a lasting peace rest on a 1994 cease-fire. Yet declining inflation and budget deficits may indicate a healing economy, as this European Union member promotes trade, foreign investment, and new industries such as electronics.