Map data for
Ireland

Situated in the North Atlantic, to the west of Great Britain, the island of Ireland is the third largest island in Europe. Geopolitically the island is divided into The Republic of Ireland which occupies 5/6 of the island, and Northern Ireland which, along with Great Britain, forms the United Kingdom. The capital city is Dublin.
Historically there has been unrest. In 1921, the British government split the island into the protestant north and catholic south. A year later the south seceded to form an independent state. There followed years of conflict, until, in 1999 a communal power-sharing agreement was reached.
Ireland is a parliamentary democracy, based upon the British system. It is divided into twenty-six counties. It ranks among one of the most developed nations as well as one of the wealthiest countries in the word in terms of GDP per capita.
The population dropped dramatically in the latter part of the nineteenth century due to famine and emigration. Large numbers of Irish left due to poverty, but the prosperity of more recent years has seen a number of European immigrants enter the country as well as some returning nationals, so population is rising again.
It has an open economy, and is a highly developed knowledge economy, especially in the areas of life science, agribusiness, food tech and technology.
Culturally the country is very rich and due to the history of emigration, the Irish culture has pervaded across the globe and given it an international cultural presence. It has an immense literary and musical heritage, as well as art and science.
Ireland is a member of the European Union.