Ireland is a small, independent country in northwestern Europe. It is often
called the Republic of Ireland. Dublin is the capital and largest city.
The country occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the British
Isles. The remaining one-sixth of the island is occupied by Northern Ireland,
which is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
A Short Background
A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla
warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for the 26 southern
counties; the six northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain.
In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European
Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of
Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups.
A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, approved in 1998, was implemented the
following year.
|
Location: |
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths
of the island of Ireland in
the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain |
|
Geographic coordinates: |
53 00 N, 8 00 W |
|
Population: |
3,840,838 (July 2001 est.) |
|
Religions: |
Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of
Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998) |
|
Languages: |
English is the language
generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the
western seaboard |
|
Exchange rates: |
1 EURO to US Dollar : 1,1962 (April 2004) |
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