Republic of Ireland

Introduction
The Republic of Ireland is a country in Western Europe, and is conjoined physically, but not economically, with the United Kingdom.

Location
The Republic of Ireland is located in the temperate zone between latitudes 51.30′ and 55.30′ N and longitudes 6.00′ and 10.30′ W, with its capital, Dublin, at 53.35' N, 6.26' W. Its greatest length is 486 km and its greatest width is 275 km. The area of land is 68,883 km2, the area of water is 1,390 km2, and the total area is 70,273 km2.

Climate
Ireland's mild and equable climate is due to the neighboring waters of the North Atlantic Drift. The average temperatures range between 39 and 45 °F (4 and 7 °C) in January and February, which are the coldest months, and in July and August, which are the warmest months, the temperatures range between 57 and 61 °F (14 and 16 °C).

Culture
quick culture summary

Ethnicity
Irish: 82.2%

Irish Travelers: 0.7%

Other White: 9.5%

Asian: 2.1%

Black: 1.4%

Other: 1.5%

Unspecified: 2.6%

Religion
Roman Catholic: 78.3%

Church of Ireland: 2.7%

Other Christian: 1.6%

Orthodox: 1.3%

Muslim: 1.3%

Other: 2.4%

None: 9.8%

Unspecified: 2.6%

Language
English and Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) are both official languages. English is the predominant language, but Irish is still spoken by a good 39.8% of the population.

Population
Population: 4,952,473

Population Density: 71.90/km2

Life Expectancy
The average life expectancy for men is 78 years. For women, it's 83.

Age Structure
0-14 years: 21.46% (M 549,864/F 525,608)

15-24 years: 11.84% (M 301,114/F 292,055)

25-54 years: 43.2% (M 1,087,587/F 1,077,383)

55-64 years: 10.42% (M 261,650/F 260,737)

65 years and over: 13.07% (M 303,087/F 352,026)

Growth Rate
1.15%

Birth Rate
14.1 births/1,000 population

Death Rate
6.6 deaths/1,000 population

Time Line

 * 1801 - Kingdom of Ireland annexed to Great Britain under the Act of Union.
 * 1840s - Great potato famine: Ireland's staple crop fails, starving a million people to death and forcing many more to flee abroad.
 * 1916 - Nationalists stage Easter Rising, seizing the General Post Office in Dublin and proclaiming an independent Irish republic. The rising is crushed by the British who execute its leaders. Irish public is outraged.
 * 1919 - Led by Eamonn De Valera, the nationalist movement Sinn Fein sets up a Dublin assembly, which again proclaims Irish independence. A guerrilla campaign by the Irish Republican Army, or IRA, against British forces begins with heavy casualties on both sides.
 * 1921 - Anglo-Irish Treaty establishes the Free State, an independent dominion of the British crown with full internal self-government rights, partitioned from Northern Ireland. Dissatisfaction with the treaty prompts the year-long Irish Civil War.
 * 1949 - Independence. Republic of Ireland and leaves British Commonwealth.
 * 1973 - Ireland joins the European Economic Community.
 * Early 1980s - Ireland faces severe economic problems, with rising debt and unemployment.
 * Mid-1990s - mid-2000s - Rapid economic growth earns Ireland reputation of "the Celtic Tiger".
 * 2008 - Global financial crisis hits Ireland hard. In 2010 it agrees a bailout with the EU and IMF.