2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions* (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia*, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia), Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige* (Trentino-South Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,147,149/female 3,899,980) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 19,530,512/female 19,105,841) 65 years and over: 19.7% (male 4,771,858/female 6,678,169) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

133 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 31

total

98

under 914 m

14 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m

19 (2006)

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 regional 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 Economic and 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. Geography Italy

Birth rate

8.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$925 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

revenues

$832.9 billion

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

41 54 N, 12 29 E

name

Rome

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

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

Coastline

7,600 km

Constitution

passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times

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 (code)

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

Current account balance

$-23.73 billion (2006 est.)

Death rate

10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$1.957 trillion (30 June 2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI

embassy

Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome

mailing address

PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624

telephone

[39] (06) 46741

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Giovanni CASTELLANETA

telephone

[1] (202) 612-4400

Disputes - international

Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa

Distribution of family income - Gini index

36 (2000)

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. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficit has breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced low growth in 2006, and unemployment remained at a high level.

Electricity - consumption

303.8 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

800 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

46.4 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

277.6 billion kWh (2004)

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-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

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 - 0.79669 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006)

election results

Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth round of voting; electoral college vote - 543

elections

president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006 (next to be held May 2013); 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) Romano PRODI (since 17 May 2006)

Exports

$450.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 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 13.1%, France 12.3%, US 8.1%, Spain 7.4%, UK 6.4% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 518-2151

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

consulate(s)

Detroit

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco

consulate(s) general

Florence, Milan, Naples

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 - composition by sector

agriculture

2%

industry

29.1%

services

69% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$29,700 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.6% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.78 trillion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.727 trillion (2006 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

5 (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 1,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

140,000 (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 8 February, 2007

Imports

$445.6 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco

Imports - partners

Germany 17.2%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 5.7%, China 4.6%, Belgium 4.5%, Spain 4.2% (2005)

Independence

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

Industrial production growth rate

1.5% (2006 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

5.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

6.42 deaths/1,000 live births

total

5.83 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.3% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code

.it

Internet hosts

1,731,165 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)

Internet users

28.87 million (2005) Transportation Italy

Investment (gross fixed)

20.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

27,500 sq km (2003)

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

24.63 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

5%

industry

32%

services

63% (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

26.41%

other

64.5% (2005)

permanent crops

9.09%

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 proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members serve five-year terms); note - electoral vote reform passed in December 2005

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Union 158 (DS 62, DL 39, RC 27, Together with the Union 11, other 19), House of Freedoms 154 (FI 79, AN 41, UDC 21, LEGA 13), other 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Union 348 (DS 220, RC 41, Rose in the Fist 18, Italy of Values 17, PdCI 16, Greens Federation 15, UDEUR 10, other 11), House of Freedoms 276 (FI 140, AN 71, Union of Christian and Center Democrats 39, LEGA 26), other 6

elections

Senate - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held May 2011)

Life expectancy at birth

female

82.94 years (2006 est.)

male

76.88 years

total population

79.81 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

Manpower available for military service

females age 18-49

12,886,033 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

13,491,260

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49

10,452,189 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

10,963,513

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 18-49

270,099 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

286,344

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

43.7 years (2006 est.)

male

40.7 years

total

42.2 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 52, cargo 45, chemical tanker 136, container 25, liquefied gas 37, livestock carrier 3, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 150, petroleum tanker 49, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 28

foreign-owned

36 (France 1, Greece 6, Spain 1, Taiwan 10, UK 3, US 15)

registered in other countries

152 (Bahamas 5, Belize 4, Cayman Islands 12, Cyprus 2, France 2, Germany 1, Gibraltar 6, Isle of Man 5, Jamaica 1, Liberia 16, Malta 29, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 4, Panama 15, Portugal 12, Romania 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Singapore 2, Spain 2, Sweden 7, Turkey 3, UK 4) (2006)

total

591 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,737,175 GRT/12,573,225 DWT

Military branches

Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Corpo dei Carabinieri, CC) (2005)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$28,182.8 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.8% (2004) Transnational Issues Italy

Military service age and obligation

voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005 (2006)

National holiday

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Nationality

adjective

Italian

noun

Italian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

80.61 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

396 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

67.91 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

12.96 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land

Net migration rate

2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

1.881 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

456,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

2.158 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

145,100 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

586.6 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 17,589 km; oil 1,136 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

Center-Left Union Coalition [Romano PRODI]: Ulivo Alliance (including Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO]; Daisy-Democracy is Freedom or DL [Francesco RUTELLI]); Rose in the Fist (including Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI]; Italian Radical Party [Emma BONINO]); Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Green Federation [Alfonso PECORARO SCANIO]; Communist Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]; Union of Democrats for Europe or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; Republican European Movement or MRE [Luciana SBARBATI] Center-Right Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI]: Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Union of Christian Democrats of the Center or UDC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]; Northern League or LEGA [Umberto BOSSI]; Christian Democracy (Per la Autonomie) [Gianfranco ROTONDI]

other non-allied parties

New Italian Socialist Party or New PSI [Gianni DE MICHELIS]; Italian Republican Party or PRI [Giorgio LA MALFA]; Social Alternative [Alessandra MUSSOLINI]; Social Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma [Luca ROMAGNOLI]; Social Idea Movement with Rauti or MIS [Pino RAUTI]; South Tyrol People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Elmar Pichler ROLLE]; Union of Valley Aosta Region or UV [Guido CESAL]

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 [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)

Population

58,133,509 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.04% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Melilli Oil Terminal, Ravenna, Taranto, Trieste, Venice Military Italy

Public debt

107.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

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

Radios

50.5 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

123 km 1.000-m gauge (122 km electrified); 1,299 km 0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2005)

standard gauge

18,037 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified)

total

19,459 km

Religions

approximately 90% Roman Catholic (about one-third regularly attend services); mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$70.5 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

484,688 km (including 6,621 km of expressways) (2004)

total

484,688 km

Sex ratio

at birth

1.07 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 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

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

Telephones - main lines in use

25.049 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

72.2 million (2005)

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

1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

7% (2006 est.)

Waterways

2,400 km

note

used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2004)