Ireland
| Population | 4.4 m |
| Capital | Dublin |
| Surface area | 68,400 km2 |
| Official Languages | Irish and English |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 143.7 bn |
| GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 1.2 |
| GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 136.6 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.959 |
| World rank in HDI | 5/177 |
| Key economic sectors (% of GDP in 2002) | Services (55.5); industry (41.2); agriculture (3.3) |
| Leading Companies | CRH Plc. (building materials); Allied Irish Banks; Bank of Ireland |
| Unemployment in January 2010 | 13.8% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
| Main religious denominations (numbers in millions) | Roman Catholic (3.46); Church of Ireland and other Protestants (0.12) |
| Political system | The President’s role is largely ceremonial, but s/he does have the power to refer legislation which might infringe the Constitution to the Supreme Court. The National Parliament is bicameral, with a House of Representatives and a Senate. |
| Electoral system | The House of Representatives is elected by the Single Transferable Vote system. The Senate is composed of 60 members, 11 of whom are chosen by the prime minister, six by the universities, and the remainders by five panels convened to represent public interests in culture, agriculture, labour, industry and commerce, and social services. |
| Current (March 2010) leaders | President: Mary McAleese (b. 1951), since November 1997 Prime minister: Brian Cowan (b. 1960), since May 2008 |
| Previous leaders: | Presidents: Mary Terese Robinson (1990-97); Patrick John Hillery (1976-90) Prime ministers: Bertie Ahern (1997-2008); John Gerard Bruton (1994-97) |
| Joined the EU/EC | 1973 |
| Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Maire Geoghegan-Quinn (Research, Innovation and Science) |
| Number of MEPs | 12/754 |
| Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 57.6 |
| Member of eurozone | Yes (founder member) |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com