Ireland (continued)
Minister Haughey heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 21 October 1983 (next to be held October 1990); results—Dr. Patrick Hillery reelected; Senate last held on 17 February 1987 (next to be held February 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 16, Labor 3, Independents 11;
House of Representatives—last held on 12 July 1989 (next to be held NA June 1994); results—Fianna Fail 44.0%, Fine Gael 29.4%, Labor Party 9.3%, Progressive Democrats 5.4%, Workers' Party 4.9%, Sinn Fein 1.1%, independents 5.9%; seats—(166 total) Fianna Fail 77, Fine Gael 55, Labor Party 15, Workers' Party 7, Progressive Democrats 6, independents 6
Communists: under 500
Member of: CCC, Council of Europe, EC, EMS, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICES, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Padraic N. MACKERNAN; Chancery at 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3939; there are Irish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco; US—Ambassador Richard A. MOORE; Embassy at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin; telephone [353](1) 688777
Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of the Ivory Coast 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
Economy
Overview: The economy is small, open, and
trade dependent. Agriculture, once the
most important sector, is now dwarfed by
industry, which accounts for 35% of GNP
and about 80% of exports and employs
20% of the labor force. The government
has successfully reduced the rate of inflation
from double-digit figures in the late
1970s to about 4% in 1989. In 1987, after
years of deficits, the balance of payments
was brought into the black. Unemployment,
however, is a serious problem. A
1989 unemployment rate of 17.7% placed
Ireland along with Spain as the countries
with the worst jobless records in Western
Europe.
GDP: $31.4 billion, per capita $8,900; real growth rate 4.3% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 17.7% (1989)
Budget: revenues $10.9 billion; expenditures $11.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.5 billion (1989)
Exports: $20.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—live animals, animal products, chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery; partners—EC 74% (UK 35%, FRG 11%, France 9%), US 8%
Imports: $17.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—food, animal feed, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing; partners—EC 66% (UK 42%, FRG 9%, France 4%), US 16%
External debt: $16.1 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 9.5% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 4,957,000 kW capacity; 14,480 million kWh produced, 4,080 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal
Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP and 14.8% 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
Aid: NA
Currency: Irish pound (plural—pounds); 1 Irish pound (Ĭr) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: Irish pounds (Ĭr) per US$1—0.6399 (January 1990), 0.7047 (1989), 0.6553 (1988), 0.6720 (1987), 0.7454 (1986), 0.9384 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Railroads: Irish National Railways (CIE)
operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge,
government owned; 485 km double track;
38 km electrified
Highways: 92,294 km total; 87,422 km surfaced, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways: limited for commercial traffic
Pipelines: natural gas, 225 km
Ports: Cork, Dublin, Shannon Estuary, Waterford
Merchant marine: 67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 113,569 GRT/139,681 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 29 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 container, 23 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 5 bulk
Civil air: 23 major transport aircraft
Airports: 40 total, 37 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: small, modern system using cable and radio relay circuits; 900,000 telephones; stations—45 AM, 16 (29 relays) FM, 18 (68 relays) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Naval Service, Army
Air Corps
Military manpower: males 15-49, 870,161; 705,765 fit for military service; 33,259 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.6% of GDP, or $500 million (1989 est.)
