| Background: |
Italy became a
nation-state belatedly - in 1861 when the city-states of the
peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under
King Victor EMMANUEL. An era of parliamentary government
came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI
established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance
with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A
democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and
economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of
NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been
at the forefront of European economic and political
unification, joining the European Monetary Union in 1999.
Persistent problems include illegal immigration, the ravages
of organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, and the
low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy
compared with the more prosperous north. |
| Location: |
Southern Europe,
a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea,
northeast of Tunisia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
42 50 N, 12 50 E |
| Area: |
total:
301,230 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km
water: 7,210 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger
than Arizona |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
1,932.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488
km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km,
Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental
shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
predominantly
Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south |
| Terrain: |
mostly rugged and
mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) 4,807
m |
| Natural
resources: |
mercury, potash,
marble, sulfur, natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish,
coal, arable land |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
31%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 21% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
27,100 sq km
(1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
regional risks
include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice |
| Environment
- current issues: |
air pollution
from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal
and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural
effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial
waste treatment and disposal facilities |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur
85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Geography
- note: |
strategic
location dominating central Mediterranean as well as
southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe |
| Population: |
57,679,825 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
14.17% (male 4,209,102; female 3,964,765)
15-64 years: 67.48% (male 19,375,742; female
19,546,332)
65 years and over: 18.35% (male 4,368,264;
female 6,215,620) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.07% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
9.05 births/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
10.07
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
1.73 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
5.84 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 79.14 years
male: 75.97 years
female: 82.52 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.18 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.35% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
95,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
1,000 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Italian(s)
adjective: Italian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Italian (includes
small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in
the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the
south) |
| Religions: |
predominately
Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities
and a growing Muslim immigrant community |
| Languages: |
Italian
(official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are
predominantly German speaking), French (small
French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene
(Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1998)
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
20 regions (regioni,
singular - regione); Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania,
Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria,
Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna,
Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta,
Veneto |
| Independence: |
17 March 1861
(Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified
until 1870) |
| National
holiday: |
Republic Day, 2
June (1946) |
| Constitution: |
1 January 1948 |
| Legal
system: |
based on civil
law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review
under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age
is 25) |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (since 13
May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to
in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers)
Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 10 June 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the
prime minister and approved by the president
elections: president elected by an electoral
college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58
regional representatives for a seven-year term; election
last held 13 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2006); prime
minister appointed by the president and confirmed by
parliament
election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected
president; percent of electoral college vote - 70%
note: a 12-party government coalition; note -
BERLUSCONI's coalition includes Forza Italian, National
Alliance, Christian Democratic Center, Christian Northern
League |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato
della Repubblica (315 seats elected by popular vote of which
232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by regional
proportional representation plus, in addition, there are a
small number of senators-for-life including former
presidents of the republic; members serve five-year terms)
and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630
seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional
proportional representation; members serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 13 May 2001 (next
to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 May
2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - House of Liberties 177 (Forza
Italia 82, National Alliance 46, CCD-CDU 29, Northern League
17, others 3), Olive Tree 128 (Democrats of the Left 62,
Daisy Alliance 42, Sunflower Alliance 16, Italian Communist
Party 3, independents 5), non-affiliated with either
coalition 10, senators for life 9; Chamber of Deputies -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - House of
Liberties 367 (Forza Italia 189, National Alliance 96,
CCD-CDU 40, Northern League 30, others 12), Olive Tree 248
(Democrats of the Left 138, Daisy Alliance 76, Sunflower
Alliance 18, Italian Communist Party 9, independents 7),
non-affiliated with either coalition 15 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Constitutional
Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges:
one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by
Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and
administrative Supreme Courts) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Center-Left Olive
Tree Coalition [Francesco RUTELLI] - Democrats of the Left,
Daisy Alliance (including Italian Popular Party, Italian
Renewal, Union of Democrats for Europe, The Democrats),
Sunflower Alliance (including Green Federation, Italian
Democratic Socialists), Italian Communist Party; Christian
Democratic Center or CDC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]; Christian
Democratic Union or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE]; Communist
Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Forza Italia or FI [Silvio
BERLUSCONI]; Green Federation [Grazia FRANCESCATO]; House of
Liberties (formerly Freedom Alliance, a center-right
coalition) [leader Silvio BERLUSCONI] - Forza Italian,
National Alliance, Christian Democratic Center, Christian
Democratic Union, Northern League; Italian Communist Party
or PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Italian Democratic Socialists
[Enrico BOSELLI]; Italian Popular Party [Pierluigi
CASTAGNETTI]; Italian Renewal [Lamberto DINI]; Italian
Social Movement-Tricolored Flame or MSI-FI [Pino RAUTI];
National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Northern League
or NL [Umberto BOSSI]; Radical Party (formerly Panella
Reformers and Autonomous List) [Marco PANNELLA]; Southern
Tyrols People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Siegfried
BRUGGER]; Union of Democrats for Europe [Clemente MASTELLA];
The Democrats [Arturo PARISI] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Italian
manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria,
Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori,
Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three major trade
union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del
Lavoro or CGIL [Sergio COFFERATI] which is left wing,
Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL
[Sergio D'ANTONI] which is Catholic centrist, and Unione
Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Pietro LARIZZA] which is lay
centrist) |
| International
organization participation: |
AfDB, AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB
(non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB,
EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA
(observer), MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNTSO,
UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO
chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400
FAX: [1] (202) 518-2154
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston,
Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San
Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant)
embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (06) 46741
FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples |
| Flag
description: |
three equal
vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;
similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green
(hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of
the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange
(hoist side), white, and green
note: inspired by the French flag brought to
Italy by Napoleon in 1797 |
| Economy
- overview: |
Italy has a
diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total
and per capita output as France and the UK. This
capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed
industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less
developed agricultural south, with more than 20%
unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more
than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Since 1992,
Italy has adopted budgets compliant with the requirements of
the European Monetary Union (EMU); wage moderation
agreements by representatives of government, labor, and
employers have helped to bring Italy's inflation into
conformity with EMU requirements. Italy's economic
performance, however, has lagged behind that of its EU
partners and it must work to stimulate employment, promote
labor flexibility, reform its expensive pension system, and
tackle the informal economy. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $1.273 trillion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2.7% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $22,100 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
2.5%
industry: 30.4%
services: 67.1% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
3.5%
highest 10%: 21.8% (1995) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.5% (2000) |
| Labor
force: |
23.4 million
(2000) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 61.9%,
industry 32.6%, agriculture 5.5% (1999) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
10.4% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$488 billion
expenditures: $501 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism,
machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing,
textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
1.9% (2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
247.679 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
79.09%
hydro: 18.08%
nuclear: 0%
other: 2.83% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
272.35 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
530 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
42.539 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
fruits,
vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain,
olives; beef, dairy products; fish |
| Exports: |
$241.1 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
engineering
products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor
vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages
and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals |
| Exports
- partners: |
EU 56.8% (Germany
16.4%, France 12.9%, Netherlands 7.1%, Spain 6.3%,
Netherlands 2.9%), US 9.5% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$231.4 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
engineering
products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products,
minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food,
beverages and tobacco |
| Imports
- partners: |
EU 61% (Germany
19.3%, France 12.6%, Netherlands 6.3%, Spain 4.4%), US 5.0%
(1999) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $1.3 billion
(1997) |
| Currency: |
Italian lira (ITL);
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the
euro as a common currency that is now being used by
financial institutions in Italy at a fixed rate of 1,936.27
Italian lire per euro and will replace the local currency
for all transactions in 2002 |
| Exchange
rates: |
euros per US
dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386
(1999); Italian lire per US dollar - 1,688.7 (January 1999),
1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
25 million (1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
20.5 million
(1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully
automated telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave
radio relay trunks
international: satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean
and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region),
and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM about 100, FM
about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998) |
| Radios: |
50.5 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
358 (plus 4,728
repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
30.3 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.it |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
93 (Italy and
Holy See) (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
11.6 million
(2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
19,394 km
standard gauge: 18,071 km 1.435-m gauge;
Italian Railways (FS) operates 16,014 km of the total
standard gauge routes (11,322 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km
electrified); 1,211 km 0.950-m gauge (153 km electrified)
(1998) |
| Highways: |
total:
654,676 km
paved: 654,676 km (including 6460 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1997) |
| Waterways: |
2,400 km
note: for various types of commercial traffic,
although of limited overall value |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 1,703
km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural gas 19,400 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Augusta (Sicily),
Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno,
Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres (Sardinia),
Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice (2001) |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
445 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,005,136 GRT/10,556,244
DWT
ships by type: bulk 44, cargo 41, chemical
tanker 77, combination ore/oil 4, container 24, liquefied
gas 38, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 11,
petroleum tanker 85, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off
64, short-sea passenger 26, specialized tanker 14, vehicle
carrier 15 (2000 est.) |
| Airports: |
135 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
97
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
Force, Carabinieri |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 14,248,674 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 12,244,166 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
304,369 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$20.7 billion
(FY00/01) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.7% (FY00/01) |
| Disputes
- international: |
Croatia and Italy
made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from
World War II over property and ethnic minority rights |
| Illicit
drugs: |
important gateway
for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest
Asian heroin entering the European market |
|
