Ireland

Country	Ireland
Capital	Dublin
Independence	6 December 1921 (from the UK by treaty)
National holiday	Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Population	4,775,982 (July 2013 est.)
Sex ratio	1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Nationality	Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
Religions	Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 census)
Languages	English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken mainly in areas along the western coast)
Literacy	Age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)
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
Map references	Europe
Area	total: 70,273 sq km land: 68,883 sq km water: 1,390 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries	total: 360 km border countries: UK 360 km
Coastline	1,448 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate	temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Terrain	mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m
Natural resources	natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite
Industries	pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer hardware and software, food products, beverages and brewing; medical devices
Exports - commodities	machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, medical devices, pharmaceuticals; food products, animal products
Imports - commodities	data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Land use	arable land: 16.82% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 83.15% (2005)
Irrigated land	NA
Total renewable water resources	46.8 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 1.18 cu km/yr (23%/77%/0%) per capita: 284 cu m/yr (1994)
Natural hazards	NA
Environment - current issues	water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note	strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 100 km of Dublin