Ireland

Ireland is comprised of five-sixths of the island of Ireland. It is not to be mixed with or seen as the same country as Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. Ireland is separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea. It has the northern Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Celtic Sea to the south. As of 2012, the most important parts in Ireland’s economy were industry (26.3 %), public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities (17.8 %) and wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food service activities (16 %). The UK, the US and Germany stand as Ireland’s main partners for export, while for import it is the US, the UK and Belgium.