Ireland by Ana Leyva

· Country Name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ireland local long form: none local short form: Eire
· Year Founded : between 600-150 B.C
· Population: 4,203,200 (July 2009 est.)
· Primary Language: English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
· Ethnic Make-up: Irish 87.4%, other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 census)
· Political System: republic, parliamentary democracy
· Year Entered the European Union: 1973
· Representative of the European Union (include party):
· Type of Economy: small, modern, trade-dependent economy
· Currency: Euro
· Current Exchange rate for American Currency: 1 Euro = 1.3653 U.S. dollars
· GDP:
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$198.5 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$285 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-0.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$47,800 (2008 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5% industry: 46% services: 49% (2002 est.)
· Percentage of Trade within the European Union:
· Unemployment Rate: 6.2% (2008 est.)
· Chief Exports: machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
· Key Imports: data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
· Major 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)
· Surrounding Countries:United Kingdom
· Literacy Rate: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)
· One Interesting Fact: Ireland is a home to many places of interest regarding past history and cultures. One such example is King John's Castle on King's Island in Limerick. It is next to the River Shannon. The castle are the remains of a Viking settlement and were discovered with the some other construction was going on. The walls, fortifications and towers of the Castle are a visitor's attraction. The castle has also borne the brunt of the Siege of Limerick, the first of the five sieges of the city during the seventeenth century. For the patrons of arts, the Tory Island beckons the most in Ireland. This is an island some twelve kilometers away from the County Donegal. It is approximately one kilometer wide and five kilometers long. The island is a home to a small community of artists and has its own art gallery. Famous artists like Derek Hill and Patsy Dan have been associated with this Island.