m (limited facilities for commercial traffic) (1998)

Pipelines: natural gas 7,592 km (transmission 1,158 km; distribution
6,434 km) (2000)

Ports and harbors: Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway,
Limerick, New Ross, Waterford

Merchant marine: total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 110,741
GRT/127,342 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here
as a flag of convenience: Germany 2 (2002 est.) ships by type: bulk 4,
cargo 20, container 1, short-sea passenger 1

Airports: 41 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047
m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m:
22 (2001)

Military Ireland

Military branches: Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps),
National Police (Garda Siochana)

Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,013,739 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 816,744
(2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 32,287
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $700 million (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY00/01)

Transnational Issues Ireland

Disputes - international: disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and the UK
over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from
North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic
drugs; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for
Western Europe

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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Equatorial Guinea

Introduction

Equatorial Guinea

Background: Composed of a mainland portion and five inhabited islands,
Equatorial Guinea, which gained independence in 1968 after 190 years
of Spanish rule, has been ruled by President OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO since
he seized power in a coup in 1979. Although nominally a constitutional
democracy since 1991, the 1996 presidential and 1999 legislative elections
were widely seen as being flawed.

Geography Equatorial Guinea

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon
and Gabon

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E

Map referen