Ireland Geography Profile 2008

Location

Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Geographic coordinates

53 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 70,280 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries

total: 360 km
border countries: UK 360 km

Coastline

1,448 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate

temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time

Terrain

mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m

Natural resources

natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite

Land use

arable land: 16.82%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 83.15% (2005)

Irrigated land

NA

Total renewable water resources

46.8 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.18 cu km/yr (23%/77%/0%)
per capita: 284 cu m/yr (1994)

Natural hazards

NA

Environment - current issues

water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, 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 100 km of Dublin