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Ireland

Country Demographics: - In 2008 6,197,100 people. - Ireland is currently divided into the Republic of Ireland which is 5/6 of the country and Northern Ireland which is 1/6 of the country and part of the United Kingdom. - Of the approximate 6.2 million people living in the country, 4.5 are in                       the Republic and 1.8 are in Northern. Geographical Information: - Ireland is seperated from Great Brittain by the Irish Sea. It is also surrounded by the Celtic Sea and Atlantic Ocean. - It is the 3rd largest island in Europe. - The key mountain is Carrantoohil which is the highest point at 3,046 feet above sea level. - The country which is in Northern/Western Europe has a 600 mile coastline and an area of 32,595.1 square miles. - The largest city in the Country is Dublin containing 1mil. people. - To the east of the island is Great Brittain and the longest river is                            is the River Shannon which is 240 miles long. - The mild oceanic climate has frequent rain, however inland is warm in                            the summer and cooler in the winter. Ethnic Groups: -Those living in Ireland are either Irish or Ulster Scots and the largest religion is Christianity. 73% are Roman Catholic and the rest Protestant and 4% have none. A small ammount are also Jewish. - Less than 10% of the country speaks Irish and the rest speak English which is the countries official language. Economic Development: -Ireland began circulating the Euro in 2002. -GDP growth averaged 6% in 1995-2007, but the economy has dropped by over 3%                    in 2008, about 8% in 2009, and about 1% in 2010. - The countries unemployment rate is 13.7 percent. - The country grows turnips, barley potatoes, beets, wheat, dairy and beef. - The main industries are silver, lead, steel, zinc, aluminum, food product, glass and crystal. - The key exports are machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmecuticals, live animals and animal products. - The key imports are chemicals, petroleum, textiles, machinery and clothing. -The GDP per capita is $37, 600 in 2010. Health and Education: - The infant mortality rate is 3.89 deaths and 1,000 live births. - The life expectancy is for males 77.86 years and for females 82.41 years. - The average amount of education is up to 18 years and the literacy rate for both males and females each is 99 percent.

History of Nation: "1800. British rule over Ireland, present since the 12th century, is extended to the entire country by the 17th and 18th centuries and further centralized with the Act of Union in 1800 (whereby no parliament sat in Dublin anymore).

1870s. Strong national movement emerges in Ireland. The national political movement in favor of "home rule" succeeds in incorporating both members of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy and peasant famers who seek land reform. But resistance on the part of conservative British governments and the strong will of the Protestant population of the northern province—Ulster—to remain in the union delays home rule.

1914-18. A more radical stream of nationalism begins.

1919-21. Guerrilla-style war for independence ensues. The Unionist population of Northern Ireland remains adamant that no granting of either home rule or independence to the island should include them.

1922. The Anglo-Irish treaty gives 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland independence from the United Kingdom with some symbolic restrictions, such as the retention of the crown as head of state. The remaining 6 counties in the north of the island remain part of the UK.

1923. Those for and against the treaty fight a civil war over the spoils of government and some over the retention of symbolic links with Britain, which ends in the capitulation of the anti-treaty forces, who then form the political party Fianna Fáil in 1926.

1925. Partition of the island into Eire and Northern Island is informally made permanent.

1938. More than a decade of politically provoked and disastrous "economic war" with Britain ends.

1940. Ireland declares itself neutral in World War II.

1949. Although informally a republic since 1937, Ireland is formally declared a republic.

1950s. Emigration increases rapidly, and rural poverty becomes widespread.

1960s. The inward looking, tariff-centered economic policies are rejected in favor of an open policy, but the state still plays a huge role in the economy.

1970s. High government spending increases the national debt to unsustainable levels and sparks off high inflation. The oil crisis of 1979 also hits the country hard.

1973. Ireland joins the European Economic Community, along with Britain and Denmark.

1980s. High inflation and unemployment levels alongside income tax that reach over 65 percent.

1987. Ireland endorses the Single European Act, which establishes the common European market. The first social partnership agreements of the 1980s negotiate a plan for national economic recovery.

1990s. Tighter fiscal policies, trade and enterprise-friendly economic policies, and social partnership agreements, alongside other factors such as the long-term benefits of EU transfers, facilitate a turnaround in the economic fortunes of the country.

1991. EU countries sign the Maastricht Treaty, which formalizes the plan for European Monetary Union and agrees on the ground rules for entry into EMU.

1994-98. Following the paramilitary cease-fire in Northern Ireland and long negotiations, a peace process results in political agreements between Britain, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.

1995-96. The economy shows strong growth and a significant increase in employment opportunities.

1998. Ireland endorses the Amsterdam Treaty, which extends EU co-ordination of social and security policy and enlargement.

1999. EMU is introduced and the European Central Bank takes over monetary powers in Ireland."