"Love is never defeated, " Pope John Paul II said, "and the history of Ireland proves that." First and twentieth-time visitors know that there are a vast number of things to love about this most emerald of islands, and many cozy pubs in which to celebrate them.

• TOTAL AREA: 70,280 sq km

• LAND AREA: 68,890 sq km

• WATER AREA: 1,390 sq km

• POPULATION: 4,062,235

• RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5%

• LANGUAGES: English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (official) (Gaelic or Gaeilge) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Parliamentary Democracy

• CAPITAL CITY: Dublin

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: euro (EUR)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC 0