2010 Edition

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 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.

Area

land

294,140 sq km

total

301,340 sq km

water

7,200 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Arizona

Climate

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

Coastline

7,600 km

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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, 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: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

723 cu m/yr (1998)

total

41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%)

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

Irrigated land

27,500 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km

total

1,899.2 km

Land use

arable land

26.41%

other

64.5% (2005)

permanent crops

9.09%

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

Natural hazards

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

volcanism

Italy experiences significant volcanic activity; Etna (elev. 3,330 m, 10,925 ft), which is in eruption as of 2010, is Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to nearby Sicilian villages; Etna, along with the famous Vesuvius, which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the Bay of Naples area, have both been deemed "Decade Volcanoes" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Stromboli, on its namesake island, has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Larderello, Pantelleria, Vulcano, and Vulsini

Natural resources

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

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Total renewable water resources

175 cu km (2005)

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.5% (male 4,056,156/female 3,814,070) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 19,530,696/female 18,981,084) 65 years and over: 20.2% (male 4,903,762/female 6,840,444) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

8.01 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

10.83 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

4.3% of GDP (2007)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.4% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,900 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

150,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

4.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

5.96 deaths/1,000 live births

total

5.41 deaths/1,000 live births

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)

Life expectancy at birth

female

83.46 years (2010 est.)

male

77.39 years

total population

80.33 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

98% (2001 census)

male

98.8%

total population

98.4%

Median age

female

45.3 years (2010 est.)

male

42.3 years

total

43.7 years

Nationality

adjective

Italian

noun

Italian(s)

Net migration rate

2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

58,090,681 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.075% (2010 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

17 years (2007)

male

16 years

total

16 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.066 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.32 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

68% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma)

autonomous regions

Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee d'Aoste (French)

regions

Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Toscana (Tuscany), Umbria, Veneto (Venetia)

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)

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador David THORNE

consulate(s) general

Florence, Milan, Naples

embassy

Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome

FAX

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

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 Giulio TERZI di Sant' Agata

consulate(s)

Detroit

consulate(s) general

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

FAX

[1] (202) 518-2151

telephone

[1] (202) 612-4400

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and nominated by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

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 on 10 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament

head of government

Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 8 May 2008) note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the president of the Council of Ministers

Flag description

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; design inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797; colors are those of Milan (red and white) combined with the green uniform color of the Milanese civic guard note: similar to the flag of Mexico, which is longer, uses darker shades of red and green, and has its coat of arms centered on the white band; 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

Government type

republic

Independence

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

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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)

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; members elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; members to serve five-year terms; and up to 5 senators for life appointed by the president of the Republic) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members to serve five-year terms); note - it has not been clarified if each president has the power to designate up to five senators or if five is the number of senators for life who might sit in the Senate

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2), W. VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118, IdV 3), UdC 3, other 6; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8), W. VELTRONI coalition 246 (PD 217, IdV 29), UdC 36, other 4

elections

Senate - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO note: adopted 1946; the anthem, originally written in 1847, is also known as "L'Inno di Mameli" (Mameli's Hymn), and "Fratelli D'Italia" (Brothers of Italy)

name

"Il Canto degli Italiani" (The Song of the Italians)

National holiday

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Political parties and leaders

Center-Left coalition

Democratic Party or PD [Pier Luigi BERSANI]; Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]

Center-Right coalition

Lega Nord or LN [Umberto BOSSI]; Movement for Autonomy or MpA [Raffaele LOMBARDO]; People of Freedom or PdL [Silvio BERLUSCONI]

other non-allied parties

Future and Liberty Party or FLI [Gianfranco FINI]; Union of the Center or UdC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]

Political pressure groups and leaders

manufacturers and merchants associations - Confcommercio; Confindustria; 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 [Raffaele BONANNO], which is Roman Catholic centrist; Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)

Suffrage

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

Agriculture - products

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

Central bank discount rate

1.75% (31 December 2009) 3% (31 December 2008) note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area

Commercial bank prime lending rate

10.26% (31 December 2009 est.) 11.31% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$61.98 billion (2010 est.) -$66.2 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$2.223 trillion (30 June 2010 est.) $2.328 trillion (31 December 2008)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

32 (2006) 27.3 (1995)

Economy - overview

Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with high unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises, many of them family owned. Italy also has a sizable underground economy, which by some estimates accounts for as much as 15% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture, construction, and service sectors. Italy has moved slowly on implementing needed structural reforms, such as reducing graft, overhauling costly entitlement programs, and increasing employment opportunities for young workers, particularly women. The international financial crisis worsened conditions in Italy's labor market, with unemployment rising from 6.2% in 2007 to 8.4% in 2010, but in the longer-term Italy's low fertility rate and quota-driven immigration policies will increasingly strain its economy. A rise in exports and investment driven by the global economic recovery nevertheless helped the economy grow by about 1% in 2010 following a 5% contraction in 2009. The Italian government has struggled to limit government spending, but Italy's exceedingly high public debt remains above 115% of GDP, and its fiscal deficit - just 1.5% of GDP in 2007 - exceeded 5% in 2009 and 2010, as the costs of servicing the country's debt rose.

Electricity - consumption

315 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

3.431 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

43 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

289.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7715 (2010), 0.7179 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006)

Exports

$458.4 billion (2010 est.) $407.2 billion (2009 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 12.6%, France 11.57%, US 5.92%, Spain 5.69%, UK 5.13%, Switzerland 4.69% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

1.8%

industry

24.9%

services

73.3% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$30,700 (2010 est.) $30,300 (2009 est.) $31,900 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

1.1% (2010 est.) -5.1% (2009 est.) -1.3% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.037 trillion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.782 trillion (2010 est.) $1.763 trillion (2009 est.) $1.857 trillion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 26.8% (2000)

Imports

$459.7 billion (2010 est.) $403.9 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Germany 16.68%, France 8.82%, China 6.53%, Netherlands 5.63%, Spain 4.3%, Russia 4.12%, Belgium 4.08% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

0.5% (2010 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.4% (2010 est.) 0.8% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

19.1% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

25.05 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

4.2%

industry

30.7%

services

65.1% (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$317.3 billion (31 December 2009) $520.9 billion (31 December 2008) $1.073 trillion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

78.12 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - exports

124 million cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - imports

69.24 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - production

8.119 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

69.83 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

1.537 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

586,900 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - imports

1.911 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - production

146,500 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

423.7 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

118.1% of GDP (2010 est.) 115.8% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$NA (31 December 2010 est.) $132.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$1.884 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) $1.846 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$601.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $555.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$405.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $368.9 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$3.274 trillion (31 December 2009 est.) $3.047 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.234 trillion (31 December 2010 est) $1.267 trillion (31 December 2009 est) note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

Unemployment rate

8.4% (2010 est.) 7.8% (2009 est.)

Broadcast media

two Italian media giants - the publicly-owned Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) with 3 national terrestrial stations and privately-owned Mediaset with 3 national terrestrial stations - dominate; additional broadcasts by a large number of private stations and Sky Italia - a satellite TV network; RAI operates 3 AM/FM nationwide radio stations; some 1,300 commercial radio stations (2007)

Internet country code

.it

Internet hosts

23.16 million (2010)

Internet users

29.235 million (2009)

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; a series of submarine cables provide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US; 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

Telephones - main lines in use

21.3 million (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

90.613 million (2009)

Airports

132 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

101 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 13 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 19 (2010)

Heliports

6 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 81, cargo 47, carrier 1, chemical tanker 169, container 22, liquefied gas 25, passenger 23, passenger/cargo 160, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 34, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 34

foreign-owned

78 (Denmark 4, France 2, Germany 1, Greece 8, Luxembourg 12, Nigeria 1, Norway 6, Sweden 1, Switzerland 6, Taiwan 11, Turkey 3, UK 2, US 21)

registered in other countries

213 (Bahamas 5, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 6, Cyprus 6, Georgia 2, Gibraltar 4, Greece 5, Kiribati 1, Liberia 48, Malta 52, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 9, Norway 3, Panama 23, Portugal 10, Russia 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 3, Slovakia 2, Spain 1, Sweden 5, Turkey 2, UK 4, unknown 3) (2010)

total

667

Pipelines

gas 17,558 km; oil 1,241 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Augusta, Cagliari, Genoa, Livorno, Santa Panagia (Melilli), Taranto, Trieste, Venice

Railways

narrow gauge

123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1,058 km 0.950-m gauge (151 km electrified); 231 km 0.850-m gauge (2008)

standard gauge

18,317 km 1.435-m gauge (12,458 km electrified)

total

19,729 km

Roadways

paved

487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2007)

total

487,700 km

Waterways

2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2008)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 13,705,846 females age 16-49: 12,929,946 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 11,092,984 females age 16-49: 10,452,910 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

263,336 (2010 est.)

male

280,255

Military branches

Italian Armed Forces

Italian Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Italian Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2010)

Military expenditures

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch; 10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45 (Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)

Disputes - international

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

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 page last updated on January 19, 2011 ======================================================================