Ireland is an island nation located in Western Europe northwest of the United Kingdom. It has a strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe. The government system is a republic; parliamentary democracy. The chief of state is the president and the head of government is the Taoiseach (prime minister). Ireland has a mixed economic system which includes a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. Ireland is a member of the European Union (EU)

Ireland’s capital is Dublin and follows Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is 5.5 hours behind Indian Standard Time. Its currency is Euro. Calling code for Ireland is 353 and it follows 230 Volts Electrical system.

Languages

English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken by approximately 39.8% of the population as of 2016; mainly spoken in areas along Ireland's western coast known as gaeltachtai, which are officially recognized regions where Irish is the predominant language)

Ethnic Groups

Irish 82.2%, Irish travelers 0.7%, other white 9.5%, Asian 2.1%, black 1.4%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.6%

Religions

Roman Catholic 78.3%, Church of Ireland 2.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Orthodox 1.3%, Muslim 1.3%, other 2.4%, none 9.8%, unspecified 2.6%