Irish Quick Facts
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Location : Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
Geographic coordinates : 53 00 N, 8 00 W
Area - comparative : Slightly larger than West Virginia
Natural resources : Natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite
Population : 4,156,119 (July 2008 est.)
Ethnic groups : Irish 87.4%, other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 census)
Religions : Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 census)
Languages : English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Capital : Dublin
Administrative divisions : 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
Imports - commodities : Data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Exports - commodities : Machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
Currency : Euro (EUR)
Military branches : Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps (Aer-Chor na h-Eireann)) (2008)
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