Ireland

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Ireland spends US$1.1 billion on its military, or 0.28 percent of its GDP. This represents 0.06 percent of total global military expenditure and ranks Ireland as the 77th highest military spender in the world.

The Irish military, called the Forsai Cosanta, consists of an Army and Navy and Air Force. The president of Ireland is the supreme commander with heavy support from the defence minister. Most of the Army's activities are peacekeeping missions that are done by the United Nations.

Military membership

Ireland is a member of 12 military organizations which makes it the 18th most interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Common Security and Defence Policy
Permanent Structured Cooperation
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Wassenaar Arrangement
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Australia Group
Missile Technology Control Regime
International Atomic Energy Agency
New Agenda Coalition

Military membership

International wars

Ireland has fought in two international wars since its independence. These are:

Second Desmond Rebellion 1579-1583
Irish War of Independence 1919-1911

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Ireland is a member of 15 international political organizations making it the 43rd most connected state. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
United Nations Security Council
International Labour Organization
European Union
the Council of Europe
Energy Community
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Union for the Mediterranean
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Elections take place regularly with a smooth transition of power. Some local corruption takes place, but overall Ireland's is ranked as the 11th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Ireland are in the form of a parliamentary representative Republic where the Prime Minister is head of state.

UNIDROIT
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Western European and Others Group
World Organization for Animal Health

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Known for its alcoholic beverages as well as St. Patrick's Day, Ireland, derives its name from the goddess of fertility. Up until the fourth century BC, the island was inhabited by the Pict people until they were invaded by the Celts that originated from France. From the eighth century, Ireland was invaded by Scandinavian states until they were forced out of Ireland in the 11th century. During the 12th century, the territory of Ireland was assigned to United Kingdom by the Pope. Ireland remains a part of the United Kingdom until the 20th century. At the start of the 20th century, calls for independence were increasing and following a guerrilla campaign, Ireland gained its independence in 1921. Since then, Ireland had left the British Commonwealth in 1949 and territorial disputes over the northeastern part of Ireland evolved into a conflict between independence groups and the United Kingdom that lasted until 1998 when self-governance over the region was attained.

Being an island state located on the Atlantic Ocean, Ireland's geography mainly consists of flat terrain and low mountains that are scattered around its coastal area. Most of its terrain is made up of grass, with some swaths of forests scattered across its southern part. Despite being an island state, it borders the United Kingdom which has attained legal jurisdiction over Northern Ireland.

It is the 118th largest state in the world with a total surface area of 70,624 square kilometers or 27,269 square miles. This makes Ireland and slightly larger than Georgia and slightly smaller than Sierra Leone.

It is the 99th state with the largest amount of surface water with 1397 square kilometers or 543 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Water is fairly evenly spread out throughout Ireland and covers around two percent of its surface. Most of its drinking water is extracted from surface water with only 10 percent being extracted from groundwater.

Ireland has a mild oceanic climate which is has the four seasons of the northern hemisphere. The average temperature, with 9.5 degrees Celsius or 49 degrees Fahrenheit is the 162nd highest in the world.

During the summer period, from June to August, the average temperature goes up to 12.8 degrees Celsius or 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the winter period, from December to February, the average temperature drops down to 6.6 degrees Celsius or 43.9 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because of its location on the Atlantic Ocean, Ireland experiences rain on a regular basis. On average, Ireland is the second state in Europe that receives the most rainy days throughout the year which is 55. It is the 97th state with the highest amount of precipitation with 103 centimetres or 40.8 inches of rainfall per year.

The capital of Ireland, Dublin, is a home to around 750,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Dublin is London to United Kingdom with a distance of 472 kilometers or 293 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Dublin is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 18,668 kilometers or 11,600 miles.

Ireland became a member of the European monetary union in 2002 and has a high dependence on other European economies. This has led to a sharp decline in economic growth in the 2008 financial crisis of which Ireland has been slowly recovering. At present, Ireland's economy is highly focused on trade with its largest sector or being in the services sector. The products that Ireland's exports are mainly chemicals and machinery which are mainly exported to the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands which combined represent 50 percent of Ireland's total exports. Most of its imports comes from France, the United States and the United Kingdom which combined represent 50 percent of all imports.

It is a member of 20 international economic organizations which makes it the 14th most economically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
Financial Action Task Force
International Energy Agency
International Monetary Fund
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia
International Energy Agency
Energy Charter Treaty
Energy Community
Nuclear Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law

Its GDP is the 34th highest in the world. With 0.453 percent of total global GDP, it is estimated to be US$379 billion.

Its GDP per square kilometer is US$5.3 billion per square mile it is US$13.9 billion which makes it the 29th highest in the world.

Its GDP per capita is the 55th highest in the world and is estimated to be US$77,285.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the sixth highest in the world with 83,408 US dollars.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Its total population is just under 5 million people, which makes Ireland the 120th most populous state in the world. The languages that are spoken in Ireland are English and Irish Gaelic which are its official languages.

It has the 113th highest population density in the world with 69 people per square kilometer or 180 people per square mile.

Historically, Ireland has had a large exodus of people during the 1840s when potato crops failed which has led to the starvation of approximately 100,000 people and the emigration of around 2 million people. In recent history, around 800,000 people, or 16.4 percent of the population has emigrated to other states. Emigration was relatively high at the end of the 20th century when Ireland was in an economic recession. The United Kingdom is the largest recipient of Iris emigrants representing more than 50 percent of all emigrants. This is followed by the United States which solely represents more than 100,000 Irish migrants.

Immigration to Ireland is represented by nearly 800,000 people, or 16.22 percent of the population. Even though Ireland does not stimulated immigration, it allows immigration for refugees or for people with high skilled jobs.

The literacy rate in Ireland, with 99.3 percent, is the 21st highest in the world. Children between the ages of six and 15 years are supplied with free and compulsory education and is provided through primary and secondary education.

The Irish health care system is heavily funded and is mostly provided for free or at reduced cost. The average life expectancy is 82.8 years which makes it the 19th highest in the world. Women reach an average age of 84.3 while men reach an average age of 81.3. The largest threats to health are cardiovascular and heart diseases. A likely cause for this is the Irish diet which is considered to be among the most unhealthy in the world and has led to one of the highest obesity rates in Europe.

Freedom of religion is granted the by the Irish Constitution and religions are considered equal among each other.

Christianity is the largest religion in Ireland and has been introduced in the fifth century by Saint Patrick. Today, Christianity is followed by 90.6 percent of the population making Ireland the 14th most Christian state in the world. The Catholic Church is the largest denomination which represents nearly 85 percent of the Irish population.

Islam has been introduced during the second half of the 20th century through immigration. Currently, there are several mosques spread out throughout Ireland and Muslims currently represents 1.2 percent of the population making it the 122 most Islamic state in the world.

Less than 10,000 people, or 0.37 percent of the population adheres to Buddhism. Most Buddhists are descendants of immigrants that were relocated by the British Empire.

Hinduism is represented by 0.23 percent of the population and mainly consists of software developers that originate from India.

Around 2000 people, or 0.05 percent of the population adheres to Judaism. This number used to be higher during the second world war when Ireland's proclaimed itself to be neutral and became a safe haven for Jewish refugees. Following the creation of Israel in 1948, many Jews emigrated to the newfound land.

Around 0.17 percent of the population adheres to other religions. These are mainly neopaganism and neo-Druids that have been revived from the Celtic religion.

Irreligion represents 4.15 percent of the population.