General overview of the country.

1. Ireland
Facts and figures

2. General info
 Officially known as the Republic of Ireland (ROI).
 Where on Earth? In north-western Europe,
occupying about 5/6 of the island of Ireland.
 It was part of the United Kingdom up until 1916.
 Its only land border is with the United Kingdom
(Northern Ireland). It is surrounded by the Atlantic
Ocean.

3. History
 Part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from
1801.
 The Great Famine (1845-1849) set the pattern of emigration
that reduced the population from over 8 million in the 19th
c.
to less than 3 million in the 1960s.
 The Easter Rising sparked the War of Independence in 1916. It
obtained independence from the UK in 1922.
 From 1922 to 1923 a Civil War spread all over the country. This
was the starting point of IRA terrorism.
 From 1937 onwards a new Constitution brought political and
social ease to the ROI.
 The country joined the CEE (current European Union) in 1973
and adopted the Euro in 1999.

4. Politics
It is a parliamentary, representative democratic
republic.
Political power held by the Taioseach (prime
minister) Enda Kenny, elected in 2011. He’s the
leader of Fine Gael (conservative party).
In 2011 and 2013 Ireland was ranked as the
seventh-most developed country in the world by
the United Nations HDI.
Also good performance in freedom of the press,
economic freedom and civil liberties.

5. Demographics
 4.6 million inhabitants (2014 est.)
 Capital city is Dublin, whose metropolitan area is
home to around 1/3 of the country’s population.
 Irish economic boom during the 1990s propelled
immigration and population grew. After the
economic crisis, however, the country has once
again experienced high levels of emigration.
 Official languages are Irish and English, though
English is the dominant language.
 In 2011, 84.2% of the population identified
themselves as Roman Catholic.

6. Economy
 Ireland’s currency is the Euro (1EUR=1.06USD)
 After having been affected by the global financial
crisis and later the Eurozone crisis, Irish economy
growth reached an estimated 3.6% to 4.7% in 2014.
 The service sector represents approximately 75% of
the GDP and employs an equal share of the
workforce.
 The growing social unrest
could undermine the
country's stability.

7. Debt and IMF
 External debt is at 103% of GDP, $263 billion (2014).
 The ROI received a loan from the IMF from 2011 to
2013, part of which (3 billion) still has to be repaid in
the following years.
 The country has strictly followed the advice of the
IMF, implementing an austerity policy in order to
fight the financial crisis that started in 2008.
 The government continues its 2015 fiscal
consolidation policy and structural reforms, but
household debt is high and the number of home
mortgages in arrears has been increasing.