Republic of Ireland

Ireland (Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ^ⓘ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (Poblacht na hÉireann),^[a] is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. Around 2.1 million of the country's population of 5.15 million people reside in the Greater Dublin Area.[10] The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic.[11] The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a lower house, Dáil Éireann; an upper house, Seanad Éireann; and an elected President (Uachtarán) who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of government is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister, literally "Chief"), who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers.

Quick facts: Ireland[a]Éire (Irish), Capitaland large... ▼

Ireland[a] Éire (Irish)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  Amhrán na bhFiann "The Soldiers' Song"
Location of Ireland (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green)
Capital and largest city	Dublin 53°20.65′N 6°16.05′W53°N 8°W
Official languages	Irish[b] English[1]
Ethnic groups (2022[2])	76.6% White Irish 10.8% other White 3.3% Asian 1.5% Black 1.7% other 6.2% not stated
Religion (2022[3])	75.7% Christianity 69.1% Roman Catholic 2.5% Church of Ireland 4.1% other Christian 14.5% no religion 3.1% other 6.7% not stated
Demonym(s)	Irish
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic
• President	Michael D. Higgins
• Taoiseach	Leo Varadkar
• Tánaiste	Micheál Martin
• Chief Justice	Donal O'Donnell
Legislature	Oireachtas
• Upper house	Seanad
• Lower house	Dáil
Independence  from the United Kingdom
• Proclamation	24 April 1916
• Declaration	21 January 1919
• Anglo-Irish Treaty	6 December 1921
• 1922 constitution	6 December 1922
• 1937 constitution	29 December 1937
• Republic Act	18 April 1949
Area
• Total	70,273 km2 (27,133 sq mi) (118th)
• Water (%)	2.0%
Population
• 2022 estimate	5,123,536[4] (122nd)
• 2022 census	5,149,139[5]
• Density	71.3/km2 (184.7/sq mi) (113th)
GDP (PPP)	2023 estimate
• Total	$633 billion[6] (40th)
• Per capita	$124,596[6] (3rd)
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$516 billion[6] (30th)
• Per capita	$101,509[6] (2nd)
Gini (2022)	27.9[7] low
HDI (2021)	0.945[8] very high · 8th
Currency	Euro (€)[c] (EUR)
Time zone	UTC (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+353
ISO 3166 code	IE
Internet TLD	.ie[d]
^ Article 4 of the Constitution of Ireland declares that the name of the state is Ireland; Section 2 of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 declares that Republic of Ireland is "the description of the State".[9] ^ Article 8 of the Constitution states that Irish is "the national language" and "the first official language", and that English is "a second official language". ^ Prior to 2002, Ireland used the Irish pound as its circulated currency. The euro was introduced as an accounting currency in 1999. ^ The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

The Irish Free State was created with Dominion status in 1922, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty. In 1937, a new constitution was adopted, in which the state was named "Ireland" and effectively became a republic, with an elected non-executive president. It was officially declared a republic in 1949, following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948. Ireland became a member of the United Nations in 1955. It joined the European Communities (EC), the predecessor of the European Union (EU), in 1973. The state had no formal relations with Northern Ireland for most of the 20th century, but the 1980s and 1990s saw the British and Irish governments working with Northern Irish parties to resolve the conflict that had become known as the Troubles. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the Irish government and Northern Irish government have co-operated on a number of policy areas under the North/South Ministerial Council created by the Agreement.

Ireland is a developed country with a quality of life that ranks amongst the highest in the world; after adjustments for inequality, the 2021 Human Development Index listing ranked it the sixth-highest in the world, behind Finland and ahead of Sweden.[12] It also performs well in areas such as healthcare, economic freedom, and freedom of the press.[13][14] It is a member of the EU and a founding member of the Council of Europe and the OECD. The Irish government has followed a policy of military neutrality through non-alignment since before World War II, and the country is consequently not a member of NATO,[15] although it is a member of Partnership for Peace and certain aspects of PESCO. Ireland's economy is advanced,[16] with one of Europe's major financial hubs being centred around Dublin. It ranks among the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world in terms of both GDP and GNI per capita.[17][18][19][20] After joining the EC, the country's government enacted a series of liberal economic policies that helped to boost economic growth between 1995 and 2007, a time now often referred to as the Celtic Tiger period. A recession and reversal in growth then followed during the Great Recession, which was exacerbated by the bursting of the Irish property bubble.[21]