Ireland (Irish: Éire [ˈeË É¾Ê²É™] (listen)), also known as the
Republic of Ireland (Poblacht na hÉireann),[a] is a country in
north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of
Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on
the eastern side of the island. Around 40% of the country's population
of 4.9 million people resides in the Greater Dublin Area. The
sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland
which is part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the
Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel
to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary,
parliamentary republic. The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a
lower house, Dáil Éireann, an upper house, Seanad Éireann, and an
elected President (Uachtarán) who serves as the largely ceremonial
head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of
government is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister, literally 'Chief', a
title not used in English), who is elected by the Dáil and appointed
by the President; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government
ministers.Ireland (Irish: Éire [ˈeË É¾Ê²É™] (listen)), also known as
the Republic of Ireland (Poblacht na hÉireann),[a] is a country in
north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of
Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on
the eastern side of the island. Around 40% of the country's population
of 4.9 million people resides in the Greater Dublin Area. The
sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland
which is part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the
Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel
to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary,
parliamentary republic. The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a
lower house, Dáil Éireann, an upper house, Seanad Éireann, and an
elected President (Uachtarán) who serves as the largely ceremonial
head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of
government is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister, literally 'Chief', a
title not used in English), who is elected by the Dáil and appointed
by the President; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government
ministers.The state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a
result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It had the status of Dominion until
1937 when a new constitution was adopted, in which the state was named
"Ireland" and effectively became a republic, with an elected
non-executive president as head of state. It was officially declared a
republic in 1949, following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948. Ireland
became a member of the United Nations in December 1955. It joined the
European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the European
Union, in 1973. The state had no formal relations with Northern
Ireland for most of the twentieth century, but during the 1980s and
1990s the British and Irish governments worked with the Northern
Ireland parties towards a resolution to "the Troubles". Since the
signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the Irish government and
Northern Ireland Executive have co-operated on a number of policy
areas under the North/South Ministerial Council created by the
Agreement.Ireland ranks among the top ten wealthiest countries in the
world in terms of GDP per capita, and as the tenth most prosperous
country in the world according to The Legatum Prosperity Index 2015.
After joining the EEC, Ireland enacted a series of liberal economic
policies that resulted in rapid economic growth. The country achieved
considerable prosperity between the years of 1995 and 2007, which
became known as the Celtic Tiger period. This was halted by an
unprecedented financial crisis that began in 2008, in conjunction with
the concurrent global economic crash. However, as the Irish economy
was the fastest growing in the EU in 2015, Ireland is again quickly
ascending league tables comparing wealth and prosperity
internationally. For example, in 2019, Ireland was ranked third most
developed country in the world by the United Nations Human Development
Index. It also performs well in several national performance metrics,
including freedom of the press, economic freedom and civil liberties.
Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a founding member of
the Council of Europe and the OECD. The Irish government has followed
a policy of military neutrality through non-alignment since
immediately prior to World War II and the country is consequently not
a member of NATO, although it is a member of Partnership for Peace and
aspects of PESCO. Republic of Ireland Top Movies & Young Movies