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Other
sectors
Nearly 910 financial establishments have their
offices in the old Dublin docks which have been
transformed by the government into an off-shore
zone. This financial pole is specialized in bank
refunding. In the volume of capital invested,
Dublin has already overtaken the Anglo-Norman
islands, and in the sector of inter-bank loans,
Luxemburg is now only in second place. Dublin has
become a banking paradise for investors all over
the world.
Population
In 2000 the
population was estimated at 3,705,000, for a total
surface area of 70,283 sq. kms, making a population
density of 54 inhabitants per square kilometer.
22.5% of the population is under 15 years old, 66%
between 15 and 64 and the rest of them, 11.5%, are
over 65.
Young people under 25 years old represent 41.5% of
the Irish population, compared with 30.7% for the
rest of the EU.
This population is mainly concentrated in the urban
areas, 58% live in towns and 42% in the
countryside. Women are coming more and more onto
the work market.Life expectancy is 76,25 years.
There is a mixture in the ethnic composition of
Irish, English, Welsh, American and Scottish.
Language
The official language
in Ireland is English, but Gaelic is also spoken by
5% of the population.
Religion
There is freedom of
worship, but most of the population are Roman
Catholics and 93.1% of them are practising. There
are 2.8% Anglicans from the Church of Ireland, 0.4%
Presbyterians.
Weights,
measures and .voltages
Some weights and
measures to help you (?) :
1 kilometre = 0.620 mile
1 kilogramme = 2.21 pounds
1 meter = 1.09 yards
1 mile = 1.6 kms
1 pound = 0.450 kgs
1 gallon = 4.551 liters
1 yard = 0.91 meters
1 pint = 0.57 liters
1 acre = 0.4 hectare
The electrical current is usually 220 volts
everywhere. Plugs are the English kind with three
prongs, except for shaving plugs in hotels.
Money
The official currency
is the Irish pound, it is divided into 100 pence
(p). It is worth slightly less than the English
pound sterling.
It is made up of the following notes : £ 5,
£ 10, £ 20, £ 50 and £ 100 and
the following coins : 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p and
£ 1.
Ireland is part of the Euro zone.
1 euro = 0.787564 pounds
1 Irish £ = 8.30 FF.
1 £ = 51 Belgian Francs.
1 £ = 2 Swiss Francs.
1 £ = 1.9 Can$.
Credit cards are accepted in Ireland and can be
used normally.
You can also use eurocheques and travellers
cheques.
You can withdraw money from automatic distributors
at the Allied Irish Bank (Banklink) using an
international Visa card.
Climate
Ireland has a temperate
climate, the winters are not very severe and the
summers are cool.
February is the coldest month
with temperatures going between 4° and
7°. The hottest months are July and August
where it goes up to 25°. The most sun is
usually in May in the north, the west and the
centre of Ireland, in the other areas it is in
June. There is a lot of rain during December and
January, the least is in April. The climate changes
a lot and is unpredictable.
Average temperatures
:
................J ....F ....M
....A ....M ....J.... J ....A ....S ....O ....N
....D
Dublin ...8 ....8 ...10
....13 ....15 ...18 ..20 ..19 ...17 ...14 ..10
....8
Sea temperatures, monthly
average :
..........................J
....F ....M ....A ....M ....J ....J ....A ....S
....O ....N ....D
Malin Head ....9 ....8 .....9
......9 ....10 ...12 ..14 ...15 ..14 ...12 ...11
...10
Valentia ........10 ...10
...10 ...10 ....11 ....13 ..15 ..16 ...15 ...13
...12 ...11
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