South West region- Overview:
Ireland's South West Region is comprised of the administrative counties of Cork and South Kerry, together with Cork City. The region has a total population of just over half a million people, accounting for just fewer than 13 per cent of the total population of the Republic of Ireland. The vast majority of the region's population, approximately 450,000 people, live in County Cork.

The city of Cork is the most prominent city in the region and the second largest in Ireland, with a population of about 123,000 people. It has been chosen as the European Capital of Culture for 2005.

Economy:
In general, economic activity in the South West has grown dramatically in recent years as many major companies have established themselves in the region. However, much of this economic development has been centred in the City of Cork and its surrounding areas creating some disparity in the economic prosperity within the region.

Some of the most prominent areas of growth include the pharmaceuticals and healthcare industries with investment from major international companies such as Boston Scientific, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer and Schering Plough. There are also a number of major information and communications technology companies operating in the region, including Apple, EMC, Motorola and Siemens and an increasing number of international services companies such as Avery Dennison, RCI, Marriott and Schlumberger.

Infrastructure:
The region benefits from an excellent transport infrastructure, which includes a major port and one of Europe's fastest growing international airports.

The Port of Cork is the most important port on Ireland's south coast and is situated close to the main shipping lines to Northern Europe. It has extensive facilities capable of handling a variety of cargos including lift-on lift-off, roll-on roll-off, dry bulk, liquid bulk and break bulk.

Cork International Airport, located 6 kilometres south of Cork city centre, is the principal airport in the South West of Ireland catering for approximately 2 million passengers a year. Extensive expansion work is currently underway at the airport in order to cope with the projected increase in passenger numbers over the next decade and new facilities, including a passenger terminal, a multi-storey car park, road infrastructure and air bridges are expected to be completed some time in 2005. The airport currently offers direct flights to several European destinations in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

Kerry airport, located just 15 minutes from Killarney, also offers scheduled flights to a limited number of European destinations including Dublin, Stansted and Frankfurt. It deals with approximately 160,000 passengers a year.

Workforce:
Cork is home to a student population of well over 25,000 people, offering companies operating in the region access to a highly educated workforce. University College Cork alone is home to 13,000 students and offers courses in a variety of subject areas including Arts, Commerce, Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Law, Medicine and Science. Cork Institute of Technology is the largest of its kind in Ireland and produces 2,000 graduates each year.

Quality of Life:
The South West region of Ireland is one of the most attractive areas in the country with miles of spectacular coastline and beautiful rural landscape. As population levels, and therefore housing needs and traffic levels, increase the local Councils are focusing on maintaining and improving the quality of life in the region. For example, Cork County Council is developing a Strategic Plan for the city to develop the sub-region over the next two decades. Current projects include improvements to the water quality in the River Lee, and a project on the Blackpool By-pass to relieve traffic problems in parts of the inner city and facilitate further development of those areas.

Business Costs:
Businesses operating in Ireland benefit from one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world.