Notes

Ireland Until 1921 all of lreland was in the United Kingdom. Now it is divided in two: the Republic of Ireland in the south is an independent state while Northern Ireland is still part of the U Within the north there has been conflict between Unionists, mainly Protestant, who want to remain British and Republicans, mainly Catholics, who want a united Ireland. Republic of Ireland some facts & figures The land: 70,000 sq km. The mainly flat interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains, with cliffs along the west coast. The climate is temperate with mild winters, cool summers and rainfall year. The people: The population is 4.6 million: 87.5% white Irish, 9% other white, 3.5% of Asian or black origin. Average age: 361 years; life expectancy: 80.68 years. 84% are Catholics and less than Protestants. About 30% live in the Dublin metropolitan area. The economy: GDP is $235 billion ($48,700 per capita). Ireland was a poor, mainly agricultural country until the 1990s. Since then it has made great economic progress, especially fields such as computer software, high-tech engineering and financial services. Dairy products, meat, cereals, pharmaceuticals and computers are important exports. The main trading partners are the USA, the UK and other EU countries. Timeline: Celtic tribes first arrived in Ireland from Europe in 300 BC.