Ireland 
May 24, 2011 | Posted by Owner | Filed under Ireland, Country Information 

Ireland
Time Is A Great Story Teller. 
General
Population: 4,670,976 (2011)
Land Area: 70,280 sq km
Natural Resources: Natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite
Capital: Dublin
Political System: Parliamentary Democracy, Republic
State Leader: Mary McAleese (1997)
Head of Government: Enda Kenny (2011) 
Languages: English, Irish(Gaellic)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Major Religions: Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, Other Christian 1.6%, Other 1.5%, Unspecified 2%, None 3.5%
Major Ethnicities: Irish 87.9%, Other Caucasian 6.9%, Asian 1.3%, African 1.1%, Mixed 1.1%, Unspecified 1.7%
Life Expectancy: 80.19 years (2011) 

Economy
GDP Official Exchange Rate: 208.3 billion (2010)
GDP Purchasing Power Parity: 172.3 billion (2010)
GDP Per Capita (PPP) : 37,600 (2010)
GDP Growth Rate: -1.6% (2010)
GDP Structure: Agriculture 2%, Industry 29%, Services 70% (2009)
Labour Force By Occupation: Agriculture 5%, Industry 20%, Services 76% (2010)
Industries: Steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, 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
Agriculture Products: Turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products
Human Development Index: 0.895 (5th) 
Tourism Revenue: 5.962 billion (2004)
Unemployment Rate: 13.7% (2010)

Military
Army Size: 10 460 (2004)
Budget: 0.9% of GDP (2005)

Current Situation
Ireland is located in North-Western Europe. Ireland is bordered by the United Kingdom. Ireland's economy has grown rapidly in the last decade due to a shift from agriculture to industry and high-technology. Ireland GDP per capita is one of the highest in the world and it's growth rate remains very high. Ireland is also a destination of choice for immigrants. Ireland has been hit hard by the global recession as is the case for many high growth countries, it also has some debt issues. 

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Sources :
CIA World Factbook: Ireland 
The Economist: The World In 2010
Wikipedia: Ireland
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/IRL.html