BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao starts an official visit to the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday. The following are the basic facts about Ireland.

    The Republic of Ireland lies in the Atlantic Ocean, about 80 km west of Great Britain, consisting of 26 of the 32 counties that comprise the island of Ireland.

    Irish is the official first language, but its use as a vernacular is now restricted to certain areas, and English is universally spoken. Official documents are printed in English and Irish.

    With an area of over 70,000 square km, Ireland has a population of 3.92 million, 91.6 percent of whom are Roman Catholics. The capital is Dublin with a population of 1.12 million.

    The national flag consists of three equal vertical stripes, of green, white and orange colors.

    The legislative power is vested in the bicameral national parliament, comprising the senate and the house of representatives.

    The president is the constitutional head of state, elected by direct popular vote for seven years. The executive power is effectively held by the cabinet, led by the prime minister, who is appointed by the president on the nomination of the house of representatives.

    The gross domestic product (GDP) was 114.5 billion euros (about137 billion US dollars) in 2001, of which services accounted for 56.2 percent, industry 40.1 percent, and agriculture 3.7 percent.

    A member of the European Union (EU), Ireland has other EU countries, the United States and Japan as its major trading partners. Enditem