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VI.TheRepublicofIrelandInChapterVIwearegoingtostudy6.1Geography6.2History6.3GovernmentandPolitics6.4PeopleandReligion6.5EconomyIrishNationalFlag,alsoknownastheIrishtricolour.ThegreenrepresentsRomanCatholicismwhiletheorangerepresentsProtestantism.Thewhiteinthecentresignifiesalastingpeacebetweenthe'Green'andthe'Orange'.FrenchNationalFlag,alsoknownastheFrenchtricolour,TheTricolourwasusedduringtheFrenchRevolutionandhassincebecomeasymboloflibertyaroundtheworld.Othernationshavealsoadoptedthedesign,usuallyassociatedwithFreedom自由,Equality平等andFraternity(Brotherhood)博爱.RussianNationalFlagGermanNationalFlagIrishGermanFrenchRussianIrishHarpissocloselyassociatedwithIrishidentitythatitservesasthenation'snationalemblem.6.1GeographyArea:70,273sq.km.;Capital:Dublin;GeographicalFeatures:Ithasbeencomparedtoabasin盆地inwhichacentrallimestoneplainrimmedbylow,oftenruggedmountainrangesalongthecoasts.Climate:Ithasatemperatemaritimeclimatewithlittleseasonalorregionalvariationandexcessiverainfall.Ireland’svividgreenlandscapeshaveearneditthetitleEmeraldIsle绿宝石.TheLiffeyRiverflowsthroughDublin.TheShannonRiver(370kmlong;SevernRiver:338km;ThamesRiver:336km.)isthelongestriverintheBritishIsles.Itconsistsofachainoflakes,beginsinthenorthwestandflowssouthwestbeforereachingtheAtlanticOceanthroughawide,lengthyestuary河口.Itprovideselectricpowerformuchofthecountry.6.2HistoryEnglandfirstinvadedIrelandin1171TheActofUnion《联合法案》waspassedin1800Anglo-IrishTreatywassignedin1921TheRepublicofIrelandwasfoundedin1949TheCeltictribesarrivedintheislandaboutthe6thcenturyBC.Inthe9thcenturytheViking北欧海盗invasionsbegan.Theyweredrivenawayinabout1014.EnglandfirstinvadedIrelandunderHenryII(1133-1189,inpower1154-1189)in1171.ButtheEnglishdidnothavefullcontroluntilthe17thcentury.TheActofUnion《联合法案》waspassedin1800,unitingGreatBritainandIrelandastheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandIreland.From1845to1851,IrishPotatoFaminecausesabout1milliondeathsandtheemigrationofabout1.5millionpeople.In1916(April24-April29),EasterRebellioninDublinbrokeout,inwhichIrishnationalistforcestakecontrolofthecitybeforebeingforcedtosurrenderbytheBritishtroops.Anglo-IrishTreatywassignedin1921,whichendedtheIrishWarofIndependence(1919-1921)andtheIrishFreeStatewasestablishedwithdominionstatuswithintheCommonwealthofNations.TheRepublicofIrelandwasfoundedin1949,andseparatedfromtheBritishCommonwealth.Today,uncertaintiesinthenorthcontinuetocolorpoliticsintheIrishRepublic.However,attemptstoendtheviolencehavebroughtthegovernmentsoftheIrishRepublicandtheUnitedKingdomcloser.InJuly2005theIRAformallydeclaredanendtoitsarmedcampaignagainsttheBritishruleinNorthernIreland.In2007,theProtestantandCatholicfactionsinNorthernIrelandagreedtoformanewgovernment.RelationswithOtherCountries:IrelandattachesspecialimportancetoitsrelationswiththeUnitedStatesandAustralia,wherepeopleofIrishdescentarenumerous.Ireland’srelationswithitsEuropeanneighborshavebecomeincreasinglyimportantasaresultofitsmembershipinEU.However,unlikemostwesternEuropeanstates,IrelandisnotamemberofNATO.Ireland,whichisnotpartofanymilitaryalliance,strivestomaintainaneutralpositioninworldaffairs.6.3GovernmentandPoliticsHeadofstatePresident(directsuffrageforatermof7years;weakenedinpowerinthepastyears)HeadofgovernmentPrimeminister(hasgrowninpower)Legislature(Parliament,orOireachtas[`eErEkWEs])HouseofRepresentatives(Dail[dCIl],morepowercomparedwithSenate),166membersSenate(Seanad),60membersConstitution29December1937;amended1999(theoreticallyapplicabletothewholeofIreland.Actuallyitconsistsof26ofthe32countiesofIreland.)HighestcourtSupremeCourt(IrishlawisbasedonEnglishcommonlawanditsconstitution.)Politicalparties:FiannaFail([5fi:EnE]共和党,SoldiersofDestiny,moreradicalandhasbeeninpowerforalmost50ofitssome80yearsinexistence);FineGael(统一党,IrishTribe,moreconservative);bothdescendedfromSinnFéin(新芬党WeOurselves);TheLaborParty;TheProgressiveDemocraticParty.6.4PeopleandReligionPopulation:4,156,119(July2008est.)PopulationinDublin:495,781ThebasicethnicgroupisCeltic,withanadmixtureofNorse挪威人,French,NormanandEnglish.Therearenosignificantethnicminorities.HistoricallyIrelandhasbeenfreeofethnicconflictsbecauseofitsracialhomogeneity[7hCmEudVe5ni:iti]同种.FormorethanacenturyaftertheGreatPotatoFamineofthe1840s,Ireland’spopulationsteadilydeclined,despitethenation’srelativelyhighbirthrate.Thiscontinuousdeclineresultedfrommassemigration,initiallytoescapethefamineandlatertoseekemploymentandbetterlives,mainlyintheUnitedStatesandintheindustrializedcitiesoftheUnitedKingdom.Inthe1960sand1970semigrationfellsharplyandnolongeroffset抵销thenaturalincrease.Bythe1980sIreland’spopulationwasgrowingatanannualrateofabout0.5percent,andinthe1990simmigrationbegantoexceedemigrationbyasmallmargin.In2002Ireland’spopulationgrewatanannualrateof1.16percent,oneofthehighestratesinwesternEurope.Officiallanguages:EnglishandIrish.AlmostallthepeopleofIrelandspeakEnglish,andaboutone-fourthalsoclaimtospeakIrish,aGaelictonguethatbelongstothefamilyofCelticlanguages.Chiefreligion:RomanCatholic,93percent;TheAnglicanChurchofIreland爱尔兰圣公会,4