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Ireland

Europe

Photos of Ireland

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Ireland’s Skellig Michael, named for the Archangel Michael, is an island located 11.6 km (7.2 mi) off the coast of County Kerry. The island served as a Gaelic monastery between the sixth and eighth centuries because of its isolation and the abundance of rock for building. “Skellig” is Gaelic for a splinter of stone, probably referring to the island’s rocky terrain that includes twin peaks.
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Contents

Introduction

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Definitions and Notes
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Geography

Area

comparison ranking: total 120

Area - comparative

Area comparison map:
<p>slightly larger than West Virginia</p>

People and Society

Age structure

2024 population pyramid:
This is the population pyramid for Ireland. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. <br/><br/>For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.

Median age

comparison ranking: total 60

Population growth rate

comparison ranking: 100

Birth rate

comparison ranking: 163

Death rate

comparison ranking: 104

Net migration rate

comparison ranking: 17

Maternal mortality ratio

comparison ranking: 174

Infant mortality rate

comparison ranking: total 198

Total fertility rate

comparison ranking: 158

Tobacco use

comparison ranking: total 94

Environment

Government

National coat of arms

Ireland’s coat of arms features a gold harp on a blue shield and dates back to the 13th century, although it only became official in 1945. The harp, a national symbol that Ireland adopted after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1921, represents the country’s history, culture, and national identity.

Economy

Real GDP growth rate

comparison ranking: 171

Real GDP per capita

comparison ranking: 5

Labor force

comparison ranking: 115

Unemployment rate

comparison ranking: 72

Public debt

comparison ranking: 118

Taxes and other revenues

comparison ranking: 78

Current account balance

comparison ranking: 16

Exports

comparison ranking: 12

Imports

comparison ranking: 16

Energy

Communications

Transportation

Airports

comparison ranking: 54

Heliports

comparison ranking: 75

Merchant marine

comparison ranking: total 93

Military and Security

Terrorism

Transnational Issues

Contents