Ireland, often called the Republic of Ireland to distinguish it from the island of Ireland, is a sovereign state in north-western Europe. It occupies most of the island of Ireland and shares a land border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.
The state is a parliamentary democracy and a republic. Its capital and largest city is Dublin. Irish and English are official languages, and the country is a member of the European Union, the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the OECD.
Geography
Ireland lies in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain. The state is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Celtic Sea, St George's Channel, and the Irish Sea. Its only land border is with Northern Ireland.
The landscape includes low central plains, river systems, lakes, coastal cliffs, uplands, bogs, farmland, and mountain ranges. The River Shannon is the longest river. Well-known natural landmarks include the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, the Wicklow Mountains, and the Atlantic coast.
Population
The Central Statistics Office estimated Ireland's usually resident population at 5,458,600 in April 2025. Dublin accounted for about 28.7% of the total population in that estimate.
Ireland's population has grown strongly in recent decades, driven by natural increase and inward migration. The country has also had a long history of emigration, especially during and after the nineteenth century.
Government
Ireland is a parliamentary democracy under Bunreacht na hEireann, the Constitution of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the President and two houses: Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann.
The President is head of state and has mainly constitutional and representative functions. The Taoiseach is the head of government and is appointed by the President on the nomination of Dail Eireann. Executive authority is exercised by the Government.
History
The island of Ireland has a long history of Gaelic culture, Christian monastic learning, Viking settlement, Norman invasion, English and British rule, plantation, rebellion, famine, emigration, and political struggle.
The Easter Rising of 1916 was followed by the War of Independence and the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The Irish Free State was created in 1922, while Northern Ireland remained within the United Kingdom. A new constitution came into force in 1937, and Ireland formally became a republic in 1949.
Late twentieth-century politics was shaped by economic change, EU membership, social change, and the Northern Ireland peace process. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 remains central to relations between Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Economy
Ireland has a small, open economy with major roles for technology, pharmaceuticals, financial services, agriculture, food production, tourism, and foreign direct investment. GDP figures can be heavily affected by multinational activity, so Irish public debate often also uses modified domestic demand and other measures.
CSO national accounts releases show strong multinational-linked swings in headline GDP. This makes Ireland a useful example of why a country's headline GDP may not always describe domestic living conditions on its own.
Culture and Tourism
Irish culture is known for literature, music, sport, language, theatre, dance, folklore, and a strong diaspora identity. Writers associated with Ireland include W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Edna O'Brien, and many others.
Tourism is built around landscapes, historic towns, music, food, festivals, castles, monastic sites, coastal routes, and cities such as Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford. Ireland's official tourism material highlights the country's mix of urban and rural landscapes.
References
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