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Background:
|
 Italy
became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the
peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under
King Victor EMMANUEL II. 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, organized crime,
corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and
the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy
compared with the prosperous north. |
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Location:
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Southern Europe,
a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea,
northeast of Tunisia |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total:
301,230 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
water: 7,210 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger
than Arizona |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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7,600 km |
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Climate:
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predominantly
Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south |
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged and
mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur
4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc) |
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Natural resources:
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coal, mercury,
zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorospar,
feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves,
fish, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land:
28.07%
permanent crops: 9.25%
other: 62.68% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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26,980 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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regional risks
include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern
sea and air approaches to Western Europe |
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Population:
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58,057,477 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
14% (male 4,181,946; female 3,935,565)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 19,590,497; female 19,256,747)
65 years and over: 19.1% (male 4,608,479; female
6,484,243) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
41.4 years
male: 39.8 years
female: 43 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.09% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.05 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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10.21
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.07 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
6.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 79.54 years
male: 76.61 years
female: 82.66 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.4% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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100,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,100 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Italian(s)
adjective: Italian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Italian (includes
small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in
the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the
south) |
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Religions:
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predominately
Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities
and a growing Muslim immigrant community |
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Languages:
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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) |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99%
female: 98.3% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
former: Kingdom of Italy
local short form: Italia |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Rome |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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17 March 1861
(Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified
until 1870) |
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National holiday:
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Republic Day, 2
June (1946) |
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Constitution:
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1 January 1948 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil
law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review
under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (since 13 May 1999)
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
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
election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected
president; percent of electoral college vote - 70%
note: a five-party government coalition includes Forza
Italia, National Alliance, Northern League, Democratic
Christian Center, United Christian Democrats |
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Legislative branch:
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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; 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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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; Center-Right
Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI] (formerly House of
Liberties and Freedom Alliance) - Forza Italia, National
Alliance, The Whiteflower Alliance (includes Christian
Democratic Center, United Christian Democrats), Northern
League; Christian Democratic Center or CCD [Marco FOLLINI];
Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO]; Forza Italia or
FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; Green Federation [Alfonso Pecoraro
SCANIO]; Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Armando COSSUTTA];
Italian Popular Party or PPI [Pierluigi CASTAGNETTI]; Italian
Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI]; Italian Social Democrats or SDI
[Enrico BOSELLI]; Socialist Movement-Tricolor Flame or MS-Fiamma
[Luca ROMAGNOLI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI];
Northern League or NL [Umberto BOSSI]; Southern Tyrols
People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Siegfried BRUGGER];
Sunflower Alliance (includes Green Federation, Italian Social
Democrats); The Daisy Alliance (includes Italian Popular
Party, Italian Renewal, Union of Democrats for Europe, The
Democrats); The Democrats [Arturo PARISI]; The Radicals
(formerly Pannella Reformers and Autonomous List) [Marco
PANNELLA]; The Whiteflower Alliance (includes Christian
Democratic Center, United Christian Democrats); Union of
Democrats for Europe or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; United
Christian Democrats or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 [Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing,
Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino
PEZZOTTA], which is Roman Catholic centrist, and Unione
Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] which is lay
centrist) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador Sergio VENTO
consulate(s): Detroit
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami,
New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151
telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400
chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC
20008 |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER
embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (06) 46741
FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples |
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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,
welfare-dependent agricultural south, with 20% unemployment.
Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of
energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy
has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the
requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has
benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current
government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at
improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has
moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural
reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and
overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous
pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and
opposition from labor unions. |
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power
parity - $1.552 trillion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
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0.5% (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power
parity - $26,800 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture:
2.4%
industry: 30%
services: 67.6% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.3% (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
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23.6 million
(2001 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 63%,
industry 32%, agriculture 5% (2001) |
|
Unemployment rate:
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9.2% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$504 billion
expenditures: $517 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
|
Industries:
|
tourism,
machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing,
textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
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-0.2% (2003) |
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Electricity - production:
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258.8 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel:
78.6%
hydro: 18.4%
other: 3% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
289.1 billion kWh
(2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
556 million kWh
(2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
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48.93 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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79,460 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1.866 million
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
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456,600 bbl/day
(2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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2.158 million
bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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586.6 million bbl
(1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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15.49 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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71.18 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
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61 million cu m
(2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
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54.78 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
209.7 billion cu
m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
|
fruits,
vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain,
olives; beef, dairy products; fish |
|
Exports:
|
$278.1 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
engineering
products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor
vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and
tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Germany 13.7%,
France 12.2%, US 9.8%, UK 6.9%, Spain 6.4% (2002) |
|
Imports:
|
$271.1 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
engineering
products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products,
minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food,
beverages and tobacco |
|
Imports - partners:
|
Germany 17.8%,
France 11.3%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 5%, US 4.9%, Spain 4.6%,
Belgium 4.4% (2002) |
|
Debt - external:
|
NA |
|
Economic aid - donor:
|
ODA, $1 billion
(2002 est.) |
|
Currency:
|
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union
introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by
financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002,
the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions
within the member countries |
|
Currency code:
|
EUR |
|
Exchange rates:
|
euros per US
dollar - 0.89 (2003), 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000),
0.94 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
27.142 million
(2002) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
53.003 million
(2002) |
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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: country code - 39; 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) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
358 (plus 4,728
repeaters) (1995) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.it |
|
Internet hosts:
|
672,638 (2002) |
|
Internet users:
|
19.9 million
(2002) |
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Railways:
|
total:
19,493 km
standard gauge: 18,090 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 88 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified);
1,315 km 0.950-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2002) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
479,688 km
paved: 479,688 km (including 6,621 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
|
Waterways:
|
2,400 km
note: serves various types of commercial traffic,
although of limited overall value (2002) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 17,448 km;
oil 1,245 km (2003) |
|
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: 475
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 8,970,017 GRT/10,354,685 DWT
foreign-owned: Denmark 4, France 3, Greece 5, Japan 1,
Isle of Man 1, Monaco 22, Netherlands 4, Panama 2, Switzerland
2, Taiwan 10, United Kingdom 5, United States 13
registered in other countries: 144 (2003 est.)
by type: bulk 39, cargo 40, chemical tanker 106,
combination ore/oil 2, container 23, liquefied gas 43,
livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large load carrier 1,
passenger 13, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 74,
refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 62, short-sea/passenger
31, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 23 |
|
Airports:
|
134 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total: 96
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 12 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 18 (2003 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
4 (2003 est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Army, Navy, Air
Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri |
|
Military manpower - military age:
|
18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males age
15-49: 14,408,392 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males age
15-49: 12,279,516 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
|
males:
285,601 (2004 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$28,182.8 million
(2003) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.9% (2003) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
none |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
important gateway
for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian
heroin entering the European market; money laundering by
organized crime and from smuggling |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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