Ireland
Location:
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia
Population:
4,109,086 (July 2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.9 years
male: 75.27 years
female: 80.7 years (2007 est.)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census)
Languages:
English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
Government type:
republic, parliamentary democracy
Internet users:
2.06 million (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)
The United Kingdom
Location:
Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of Franc
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Population:
60,776,238 (July 2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.7 years
male: 76.23 years
female: 81.3 years (2007 est.)
Religions:
Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)
Languages:
English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Internet users:
37.6 million (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)