Environment - current issues:
water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
strategic location on major air and sea routes between North
America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides
within 97 km of Dublin
People Ireland
Population:
3,924,140 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.2% (male 427,017; female 404,191)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 1,322,982; female 1,322,429)
65 years and over: 11.4% (male 194,724; female 252,797) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.1 years
male: 32.2 years
female: 34 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
1.03% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
14.63 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
7.94 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)