Part 98
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$267.6 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 213 6% (2007 est.)
5.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$45,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 $47,400 (2007 est.)
$45,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 46%
services: 49% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
2.241 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 115
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 27%
services: 67% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 4.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
7% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 27.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32 (2005) country comparison to the world: 101 35.9 (1987)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
Budget:
revenues: $92.57 billion
expenditures: $109.9 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
44.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 31.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.1% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 66 4.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
3% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 96 5% (31 December 2007)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6.76% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 125 6.52% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders
Stock of quasi money:
$NA
Stock of domestic credit:
$738.6 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 15 $545.2 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 42 $144 billion (31 December 2007)
$163.4 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products
Industries:
steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment; glass and crystal; software, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Electricity - production:
26.06 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Electricity - consumption:
25.12 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Electricity - exports:
303 million kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
753 million kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 180
Oil - consumption:
188,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57
Oil - exports:
22,710 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 87
Oil - imports:
190,800 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 178
Natural gas - production:
438 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Natural gas - consumption:
5.217 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 58
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 186
Natural gas - imports:
4.798 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 32
Natural gas - proved reserves:
9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Current account balance:
-$13.88 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 174 -$14.12 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$119.8 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 34 $115.5 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
Exports - partners:
UK 18.6%, US 18.6%, Belgium 14.7%, Germany 7%, France 5.9%, Spain 4.2% (2008)
Imports:
$84.82 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 $84.76 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Imports - partners:
UK 37.7%, US 11.6%, Germany 8.7%, Netherlands 5.6% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.023 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 126 $926.2 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.356 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 6 $2.263 trillion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$179 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$152.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 21 $139.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Communications ::Ireland
Telephones - main lines in use:
2.202 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 56
Telephones - mobile cellular:
5.048 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 86
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
domestic: system privatized but dominated by former state monopoly operator; increasing levels of broadband access
international: country code - 353; landing point for the Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, and UK; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (many repeaters); (projected digital broadcasting scheduled to be launched in 2009) (2008)
Internet country code:
.ie
Internet hosts:
1.303 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 36
Internet users:
2.83 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 61
Transportation ::Ireland
Airports:
39 (2009) country comparison to the world: 105
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 6 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 20 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 1,550 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 3,237 km country comparison to the world: 53 broad gauge: 1,872 km 1.600-m gauge (37 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 96,602 km country comparison to the world: 46 paved: 96,602 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2003)
Waterways:
956 km (pleasure craft only) (2008) country comparison to the world: 68
Merchant marine:
total: 29 country comparison to the world: 85 by type: cargo 25, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 2 (US 2)
registered in other countries: 21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 3, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 10, Slovakia 1, UK 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Cork, Dublin, Shannon Foynes
Military ::Ireland
Military branches:
Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps (Aer-Chor na h-Eireann)) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
17-25 years of age for male or female voluntary military service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service); enlistees 16 years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions; maximum obligation 12 years; 17-35 years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces; EU citizenship or 5-year residence in Ireland required (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,024,635
females age 16-49: 1,024,276 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 857,162
females age 16-49: 854,416 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 28,072
female: 26,400 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.9% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Transnational Issues ::Ireland
Disputes - international:
Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; increasing consumption of South American cocaine; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Isle of Man (Europe)
Introduction ::Isle of Man
Background:
Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.
Geography ::Isle of Man
Location:
Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland
Geographic coordinates:
54 15 N, 4 30 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 572 sq km country comparison to the world: 194 land: 572 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
160 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate:
temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about a third of the time
Terrain:
hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution
Geography - note:
one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary
People ::Isle of Man
Population:
76,512 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 200
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 6,612/female 6,300)
15-64 years: 66% (male 25,433/female 25,083)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,408/female 7,676) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.2 years
male: 39 years
female: 41.4 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.524% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 153
Birth rate:
10.77 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 179
Death rate:
10.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Net migration rate:
5.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Urbanization:
urban population: 51% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 184 male: 6.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.82 years country comparison to the world: 39 male: 75.86 years
female: 81.93 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 179
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx
Ethnic groups:
Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons
Religions:
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Languages:
English, Manx Gaelic
Literacy:
NA
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Isle of Man
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man
abbreviation: I.O.M.
Dependency status:
British crown dependency
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Douglas
geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W
time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections
Independence:
none (British crown dependency)
National holiday:
Tynwald Day, 5 July
Constitution:
unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution
Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx statutes
Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald for a five-year term; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)
election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief minister by the Tynwald
Legislative branch:
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (11 seats; members composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2011)
election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Man Labor Party 1, independents 21
Judicial branch:
High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin Party [Peter KARRAN]; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin) [Bernard MOFFATT]
note: most members sit as independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Alliance for Progressive Government or APG (a government watchdog); Mec Vannin (political party advocating a sovereign state and environment policies); note - has only had one member elected to the Tynwald
International organization participation:
UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (British crown dependency)
Flag description:
red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used
Economy ::Isle of Man
Economy - overview:
Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their contributions to GDP. The Isle of Man also attracts online gambling sites and the film industry. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.719 billion (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 177
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.719 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.2% (2005) country comparison to the world: 83
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$35,000 (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
39,690 (2001) country comparison to the world: 190
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
1.5% (December 2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $965 million
expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.1% (December 2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
Industries:
financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
timber, fertilizers, fish
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar - 0.5302 (2008 est.), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004)
note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound
Communications ::Isle of Man
Telephones - main lines in use:
51,000 (1999) country comparison to the world: 161
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)
Internet country code:
.im
Internet hosts:
478 (2009) country comparison to the world: 174
Transportation ::Isle of Man
Airports:
1 (2009) country comparison to the world: 229
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Railways:
total: 63 km country comparison to the world: 129 narrow gauge: 6 km 1.076-m gauge (6 km electrified); 57 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified)
note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2008)
Roadways:
total: 500 km (2008) country comparison to the world: 191
Merchant marine:
total: 273 country comparison to the world: 31 by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 50, chemical tanker 48, container 12, liquefied gas 41, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 29, France 1, Germany 56, Greece 50, Ireland 1, Japan 6, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 20, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Turkey 2, US 4)
registered in other countries: 7 (Bahamas 1, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Douglas, Ramsey
Military ::Isle of Man
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 14,691
females age 16-49: 14,338 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 466
female: 446 (2009 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues ::Isle of Man
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Israel (Middle East)
Introduction ::Israel
Background:
Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories Israel occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February 2005. An Israeli-Palestinian agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February 2005, along with an internally-brokered Palestinian cease-fire, significantly reduced the violence. In the summer of 2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and its military while retaining control over most points of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS in January 2006 to head the Palestinian Legislative Council froze relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Ehud OLMERT became prime minister in March 2006; he shelved plans to unilaterally evacuate from most of the West Bank following an Israeli military operation in Gaza in June-July 2006 and a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon in June-August 2006. OLMERT in June 2007 resumed talks with the PA after HAMAS seized control of the Gaza Strip and PA President Mahmoud ABBAS formed a new government without HAMAS. OLMERT in September 2008 resigned in the wake of several corruption allegations, but remained prime minister until the new coalition government under former Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU was completed in late March 2009, following the February general election.
Geography ::Israel
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates:
31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 22,072 sq km country comparison to the world: 152 land: 21,642 sq km
water: 430 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 1,017 km
border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain:
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources:
timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Land use:
arable land: 15.45%