Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014.

English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions.

A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK.

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 is being implemented with some difficulties.

In 2006, the Irish and British governments developed and began working to implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 4,109,086 (July 2007 est.)

---

Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.8% (male 442,664/female 413,556) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 1,387,803/female 1,385,355) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 212,782/female 266,926) (2007 est.)

---

Median age: total: 34.3 years male: 33.5 years female: 35.1 years (2007 est.)

---

Population growth rate: 1.143% (2007 est.)

---

Birth rate: 14.4 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Death rate: 7.79 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Net migration rate: 4.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.002 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.797 male(s)/female total population: 0.989 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

---

Infant mortality rate: total: 5.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

---

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.9 years male: 75.27 years female: 80.7 years (2007 est.)

---

Total fertility rate: 1.86 children born/woman (2007 est.)

---

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)

---

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,800 (2001 est.)

---

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)

---

Nationality: noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish

---

Ethnic groups: Celtic, English

---

Religions: Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census)

---

Languages: English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

---

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging 6% in 1995-2006. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and 29% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Per capita GDP is 40% above that of the four big European economies and the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations.

---

GDP (purchasing power parity): $180.7 billion (2006 est.)

---

GDP (official exchange rate): $204.4 billion (2006 est.)

---

GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2006 est.)

---

GDP - per capita (PPP): $44,500 (2006 est.)

---

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 46% services: 49% (2002 est.)

---

Labor force: 2.12 million (2006 est.)

---

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 8% industry: 29% services: 64% (2002 est.)

---

Unemployment rate: 4.3% (2006 est.)

---

Population below poverty line: 10% (1997 est.)

---

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 27.3% (1997)

---

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.9 (1996)

---

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (2006 est.)

---

Investment (gross fixed): 28% of GDP (2006 est.)

---

Budget: revenues: $74.49 billion expenditures: $73.05 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.5 billion (2006 est.)

---

Public debt: 22.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

---

Agriculture - products: turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products

---

Industries: steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, ship construction and refurbishment; glass and crystal; software, tourism

---

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2006 est.)

---

Electricity - production: 23.26 billion kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - consumption: 23.23 billion kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - imports: 1.6 billion kWh (2004)

---

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

---

Oil - consumption: 182,400 bbl/day (2004 est.)

---

Oil - exports: 23,360 bbl/day (2004)

---

Oil - imports: 204,400 bbl/day (2004)

---

Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2005)

---

Natural gas - production: 855 million cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - consumption: 4.295 billion cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - imports: 3.44 billion cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - proved reserves: 19.82 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

---

Current account balance: -$9.45 billion (2006 est.)

---

Exports: $119.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

---

Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products

---

Exports - partners: US 18.8%, UK 17.4%, Belgium 15.9%, Germany 7.5%, France 5.6%, Italy 4.1% (2006)

---

Imports: $87.36 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

---

Imports - commodities: data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

---

Imports - partners: UK 37.3%, US 11.6%, Germany 9.5%, Netherlands 4.6% (2006)

---

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $842.5 million (August 2006 est.)

---

Debt - external: $1.392 trillion (30 June 2006)

---

Economic aid - donor: ODA, $607 million (2004)

---

Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

---

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)

---

Fiscal year: calendar year