Ireland also
known as the Republic of Ireland, is a sovereign state in Europe occupying about
five-sixths of the island of Ireland.
The capital is Dublin,
located in the eastern part of the island. The state shares its only land
border with Northern Ireland,
one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, Saint George's Channel to
the south east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic with
an elected president serving
as head of state.
The head of government, the Taoiseach,
is nominated by the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann.
The modern
Irish state gained effective independence from the United Kingdom—as theIrish Free State—in
1922 following the Irish War of Independence, which resulted in theAnglo-Irish Treaty. Northern Ireland exercised an option to remain in
the United Kingdom. Initially a dominion within the British Empire,
the Free State was granted full legislative independence by the Statute of Westminster 1931. A new constitution was
adopted in 1937, by which the name of the state became Ireland.
In 1949 the remaining duties of the king—defined by the Executive Authority (External
Relations) Act 1936—were removed and Ireland was declared a republic
under the Republic of Ireland Act 1948. The state had no formal
relations with Northern Ireland for most of the twentieth century, but since
1999 the two have co-operated on a number of policy areas under the North-South Ministerial Councilcreated
under the Good Friday Agreement.
Ireland today
ranks among the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita. Long one of
Europe's poorest states, economic protectionism had further weakened the economy
during the early 20th century before being dismantled in the late 1950s.
Ireland joined the European Economic Community (later
the EU) in 1973, which along with liberal economic policies beginning
in the late 1980s, resulted in rapid economic expansion, particularly from 1995
to 2007, during which it became known as the Celtic Tiger.
An unprecedented financial crisis beginning in 2008, coinciding
with the global economic crash, halted this era of rapid economic growth.
Nevertheless,
Ireland remains one of the world's most prosperous countries. In 2011 and 2013,
it was ranked as the seventh most developed countries in the world by the
United Nations' Human Development Index. Ireland also performs well in several
metrics of national performance, including freedom of the press, economic freedom andcivil liberties. Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a founding member of the Council of Europe and the OECD.
It pursues a policy of neutrality through non-alignment and is
consequently not a member of NATO,
although it does participate inPartnership for Peace.
Ireland
extends over an area of approximately five-sixths (70,273 km2 or
27,133 sq mi) of the island of Ireland (84,421
km2 or 32,595 sq mi), with Northern Ireland constituting
the remainder. The island is bounded to the north and west by the Atlantic
Ocean and to the northeast by the North Channel. To the
east, the Irish
Sea connects to the Atlantic Ocean via St George's Channel and
the Celtic
Sea to the southwest.
The
western landscape mostly consists of rugged cliffs, hills and mountains. The
central lowlands are extensively covered with glacial deposits of clay and
sand, as well as significant areas of bogland and
several lakes. The highest point is Carrauntoohil (1,038
m or 3,406 ft), located in the Macgillycuddy's
Reeks mountain range in the southwest.
The River Shannon, which traverses the
central lowlands, is the longest river in Ireland at 386 km in length. The
west coast is more rugged than the east, with numerous islands, peninsulas, headlands and bays.
Preceding
the arrival of the first settlers in Ireland approximately 9,000 years ago, the
landscape was extensively covered by forests of oak, ash, elm, hazel, yew, and
other native trees.The growth of blanket bog and
the extensive clearing of woodland to facilitate farming are believed to be the
main causes of deforestation during
the subsequent centuries. Today, approximately 12% of Ireland is forested, of
which a significant majority is composed of mainly non-native coniferous plantations
for commercial use. Ideal
soil conditions, high rainfall and a mild climate give Ireland the highest
growth rates for forests in Europe.Hedgerows, which
are traditionally used to define land boundaries, are an important substitute
for woodland habitat, providing refuge for native wild flora and a wide range
of insect, bird and mammal species.
Agriculture accounts
for approximately 64% of the total land area. This has resulted in limited land to preserve natural
habitats, in particular for larger wild mammals with greater territorial
requirements. The long history of agricultural production coupled with modern
agricultural methods, such as pesticide and fertiliser use,
has placed pressure on biodiversity.
