2003 Edition

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 14% (male 4,193,412; female 3,947,679) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 19,625,428; female 19,337,861) 65 years and over: 18.8% (male 4,516,995; female 6,376,978) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Airports

134 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 30

total

96

under 914 m

12 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 18

under 914 m

18 (2002)

Area

land

294,020 sq km

note

includes Sardinia and Sicily

total

301,230 sq km

water

7,210 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Arizona

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. 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, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north. Geography Italy

Birth rate

9.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$517 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

revenues

$504 billion

Capital

Rome

Climate

predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Coastline

7,600 km

Constitution

1 January 1948

Country name

conventional long form

Italian Republic

conventional short form

Italy

former

Kingdom of Italy

local long form

Repubblica Italiana

local short form

Italia

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

Death rate

10.12 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

NA

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

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

Disputes - international

Croatia and Italy continue to debate bilateral property and ethnic minority rights issues stemming from border changes after the Second World War

Distribution of family income - Gini index

27.3 (1995)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.)

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.

Electricity - consumption

289.1 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

556 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

48.93 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

258.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

78.6%

hydro

18.4%

nuclear

0%

other

3% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

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

Ethnic groups

Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president

chief of state

President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (since 13 May 1999)

election results

Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 70%

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)

note

a five-party government coalition includes Forza Italia, National Alliance, Northern League, Democratic Christian Center, United Christian Democrats

Exports

$259.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 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)

FAX

[1] (202) 518-2151

[39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356

chancery

3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

consulate(s) general

Florence, Milan, Naples

telephone

[1] (202) 612-4400

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Italy

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 Italy

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.455 trillion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

2.4%

industry

30%

services

67.6% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $25,100 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

0.4% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

42 50 N, 12 50 E

Geography - note

strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe People Italy

Government type

republic

Heliports

4 (2002) Military Italy

Highways

paved

479,688 km (including 6,621 km of expressways)

total

479,688 km

unpaved

0 km (1999)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

100,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

26.6% (2000)

lowest 10%

2.1%

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 18 December, 2003

Imports

$238.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 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)

Independence

17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)

Industrial production growth rate

-2.8% (2002)

Industries

tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Infant mortality rate

female

5.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

6.82 deaths/1,000 live births

total

6.19 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.4% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, 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, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Internet country code

.it

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)

Internet users

19.25 million (2001) Transportation Italy

Irrigated land

26,980 sq km (1998 est.)

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)

Labor force

23.6 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

services 63%, industry 32%, agriculture 5% (2001)

Land boundaries

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

total

1,932.2 km

Land use

arable land

28.07%

other

62.68% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

9.25%

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)

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

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; 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)

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

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)

Life expectancy at birth

female

82.52 years (2003 est.)

male

76.47 years

total population

79.4 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

98.3% (2003 est.) Government Italy

male

99%

total population

98.6%

Location

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

territorial sea

12 NM

Median age

female

42.6 years (2002)

male

39.4 years

total

41 years

Merchant marine

convenience

Croatia 1, Denmark 4, France 1, Greece 3, Man, Isle of 1, Monaco 7, Netherlands 6, Norway 1, Panama 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 15, Turkey 1, UK 6, US 12 (2002 est.)

note

includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of

ships by type

bulk 43, cargo 39, chemical tanker 98, combination ore/oil 5, container 28, liquefied gas 39, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 14, petroleum tanker 67, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 60, short-sea passenger 32, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 22

total

462 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 8,518,900 GRT/9,963,040 DWT

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$20.2 billion (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.64% (2002) Transnational Issues Italy

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

14,450,147 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

12,349,356 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

291,529 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Nationality

adjective

Italian

noun

Italian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

71.18 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

61 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

54.78 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

15.49 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

209.7 billion cu m (37257)

Natural hazards

regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

Natural resources

mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land

Net migration rate

2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

1.866 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

456,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

2.158 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

79,460 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

586.6 million bbl (37257)

Pipelines

gas 17,448 km; oil 1,245 km (2003)

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; 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 [Pino RAUTI]; 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]

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 [Savino PEZZOTTA], which is Roman Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Pietro LARIZZA] which is lay centrist)

Population

57,998,353 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.11% (2003 est.)

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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios

50.5 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

88 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified); 1,315 km 0.950-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2002)

standard gauge

18,090 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km electrified)

total

19,493 km

Religions

predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community

Sex ratio

at birth

1.07 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)

Telephone system

domestic

high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks

general assessment

modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services

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

Telephones - main lines in use

25 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

20.5 million (1999)

Television broadcast stations

358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

30.3 million (1997)

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Total fertility rate

1.26 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

9.1% (2002 est.)

Waterways

2,400 km

note

serves various types of commercial traffic, although of limited overall value (2002)