2015 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 is 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 sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.

Area

land

294,140 sq km

note

includes Sardinia and Sicily

total

301,340 sq km

water

7,200 sq km

Area - comparative

almost twice the size of Georgia; 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

789.8 cu m/yr (2008)

total

45.41 cu km/yr (24%/43%/34%)

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

39,510 sq km (2007)

Land boundaries

border countries (6)

Austria 404 km, France 476 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.4 km, San Marino 37 km, Slovenia 218 km, Switzerland 698 km

total

1,836.4 km

Land use

arable land 22.8%; permanent crops 8.6%; permanent pasture 15.7%

agricultural land

47.1%

forest

31.4%

other

21.5% (2011 est.)

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

significant volcanic activity; Etna (elev. 3,330 m), 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

191.3 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

13.73% (male 4,340,380/female 4,154,737)

15-24 years

9.79% (male 3,035,586/female 3,020,584)

25-54 years

42.74% (male 13,063,733/female 13,375,975)

55-64 years

12.54% (male 3,756,546/female 3,997,190)

65 years and over

21.2% (male 5,626,752/female 7,483,637) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

8.74 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Death rate

10.19 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

35.1%

potential support ratio

2.9% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

56.5%

youth dependency ratio

21.5%

Drinking water source

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

4.3% of GDP (2011)

Ethnic groups

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

Health expenditures

9.1% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.28% (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

122,000 (2013 est.)

Hospital bed density

3.4 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate

female

3.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

3.49 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.29 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

84.92 years (2015 est.)

male

79.48 years

total population

82.12 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99% (2015 est.)

male

99.4%

total population

99.2%

Major urban areas - population

ROME (capital) 3.718 million; Milan 3.099 million; Naples 2.202 million; Turin 1.765 million; Palermo 853,000; Bergamo 840,000 (2015)

Median age

female

45.9 years (2015 est.)

male

43.7 years

total

44.8 years

Nationality

adjective

Italian

noun

Italian(s)

Net migration rate

4.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

23.7% (2014)

Physicians density

3.76 physicians/1,000 population (2012)

Population

61,855,120 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

0.27% (2015 est.)

Religions

Christian 80% (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants), Muslim (about 800,000 to 1 million), Atheist and Agnostic 20%

Sanitation facility access

urban: 99.5% of population

rural: 99.6% of population

total: 99.5% of population

urban: 0.5% of population

rural: 0.4% of population

total: 0.5% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

17 years (2012)

male

16 years

total

16 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.75 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.93 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.43 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

37.5% (2012 est.)

male

33.7%

total

35.3%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.39% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

69% of total population (2015)

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

previous 1848 (originally for Kingdom of Sardinia and adopted by Kingdom of Italy in 1861); latest enacted 22 December 1947, adopted 27 December 1947, entered into force 1 January 1948; amended many times, last in 2012 (2013)

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 John R. PHILLIPS (since 3 October 2013); note - also accredited to San Marino

consular agency(ies)

Anchorage (AL), Charleston (SC), Worcester (MA)

consulate(s) general

Florence, Milan, Naples

embassy

Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome

FAX

[39] (06) 4674-2244

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 Claudio BISOGNIERO (since 13 January 2012)

consular agency(ies)

Anchorage (AL), Charleston (SC), Worcester (MA)

consulate(s)

Charlotte (NC), Cleveland (OH), Detroit (MI), Hattiesburg (MS), Honolulu (HI), New Orleans, Newark (NJ), Norfolk (VA), Pittsburgh (PA), Portland (OR), Seattle

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Detroit, 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

chief of state

President Sergio MATTARELLA (3 February 2015); Giorgio NAPOLITANO resigned 14 January 2015

election results

Sergio MATTARELLA elected president; electoral college vote count in fourth round - 665 out of 1,009 (505-vote threshold); Matteo RENZI sworn in as prime minister on 22 February 2014

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 31 January 2015 (next scheduled for 2020); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by parliament

head of government

Prime Minister Matteo RENZI (since 22 February 2014); note - the prime minister title is 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 law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court of Cassation consists of the first president (chief justice), deputy president, 54 justices presiding over 6 civil and 7 criminal divisions, and 288 judges; an additional 30 judges of lower courts serve as supporting judges; cases normally heard by 5-judge panels; more complex cases heard by 9-judge panels

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court judges appointed by the Superior Council of the Judiciary, headed by the president of the republic, to serve NA terms; Constitutional Court judges - 5 appointed by the president, 5 elected by parliament, 5 elected by select higher courts; judges serve up to 9 years)

subordinate courts

various lower civil and criminal courts (primary and secondary tribunals, courts, and courts of appeal)

Legal system

civil law system; judicial review of legislation under certain conditions in Constitutional Court

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (322 seats; 315 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms and 7 ex-officio members appointed by the president of the Republic to serve for life) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 629 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 1 member from Valle d'Aosta elected by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - center-left coalition [Pier Luigi BERSANI] 123 (PD 111, SEL 7, SVP 2, other 3), center-right coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI] 117 (PdL 98, LN 18, other 1), M5S 54, centrist coalition [Mario MONTI] 19, other 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - center-left coalition [Pier Luigi BERSANI] 345 (PD 297, SEL 37, CD 6 SVP 5), center-right coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI] 125 (PdL 98, LN 18, FdI 9), M5S 109, centrist coalition [Mario MONTI] 47, other 4; note - President NAPOLITANO dissolved Parliament on 22 December 2012

elections

Senate - last held on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO

name

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

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)

National holiday

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

National symbol(s)

white, five-pointed star (Stella d'Italia); national colors: red, white, green

Political parties and leaders

Brothers of Italy or FdI [Giorgia MELONI, Ignazio LA RUSSA, and Guido CROSETTO]

Forza Italia [Silvio BERLUSCONI] (formerly PdL)

The New Center-Right or NCD [Angelino ALFANO]

Northern League or LN [Roberto MARONI]

The Right or LD [Francesco STORACE]

other minor parties

Democratic Centre or CD [Bruno TABACCI and Massimo DONADI]

Democratic Party or PD [Matteo RENZI]

Italian Socialist Party or PSI [Riccardo NENCINI]

Left Ecology Freedom or SEL [Nichi VENDOLA]

South Tyrolean People's Party or SVP [Arno KOMPATSCHER]

Civic Choice or SC [Alberto BOMBASSEI]

Future and Freedom for Italy or FLI [vacant]

Union of the Center or UdC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]

Act to Stop the Decline or FiD [Michele BOLDRIN]

Civil Revolution or RC [Antonio INGROIA]

Five Star Movment or M5S [Beppe GRILLO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Confindustria

Confagricoltura

Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNI] (Roman Catholic centrist)

Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] (lay centrist)

major trade union confederations

Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Susanna CAMUSSO] (left wing)

manufacturers and merchants associations

Confcommercio

organized farm groups

Confcoltivatori

other

Roman Catholic Church

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

Budget

expenditures

$1.055 trillion (2014 est.)

revenues

$990.7 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-3% of GDP (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

0.25% (31 December 2013)

0.75% (31 December 2012)

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

5.1% (31 December 2014 est.)

5.14% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

$38.94 billion (2014 est.)

$20.88 billion (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$2.604 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

$2.516 trillion (31 December 2012 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

31.9 (2012 est.)

27.3 (1995)

Economy - overview

Italy has a diversified economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, highly subsidized, agricultural south, where unemployment is higher. 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 17% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture, construction, and service sectors. Italy is the third-largest economy in the euro-zone, but its exceptionally high public debt and structural impediments to growth have rendered it vulnerable to scrutiny by financial markets. Public debt has increased steadily since 2007, topping 132% of GDP in 2014, but investor concerns about Italy and the broader euro-zone crisis eased in 2013, bringing down Italy's borrowing costs on sovereign government debt from euro-era records. The government still faces pressure from investors and European partners to sustain its efforts to address Italy's long-standing structural impediments to growth, such as labor market inefficiencies and tax evasion. In 2014 economic growth and labor market conditions continued to deteriorate, with overall unemployment rising to 12.2% and youth unemployment around 40%. Italy's GDP is now nearly 10% below its 2007 pre-crisis level.

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

0.7489 (2014 est.)

0.7634 (2013 est.)

0.78 (2012 est.)

0.7185 (2011 est.)

0.755 (2010 est.)

Exports

$500.3 billion (2014 est.)

$501.7 billion (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco; minerals, nonferrous metals

Exports - partners

Germany 12.8%, France 10.7%, US 7.2%, UK 5.3%, Switzerland 4.7%, Spain 4.6% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

30.1%

government consumption

20%

household consumption

60.2%

imports of goods and services

-27.2%

investment in fixed capital

16.9%

investment in inventories

0%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.2%

industry

23.9%

services

73.9% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$35,500 (2014 est.)

$35,600 (2013 est.)

$36,300 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

-0.4% (2014 est.)

-1.7% (2013 est.)

-2.8% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.148 trillion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.128 trillion (2014 est.)

$2.137 trillion (2013 est.)

$2.174 trillion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

18.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

18.3% of GDP (2013 est.)

17.4% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

26.8% (2000)

lowest 10%

2.3%

Imports

$448.3 billion (2014 est.)

$453.6 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Germany 16.1%, France 9%, China 7.3%, Netherlands 5.8%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.5% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

-0.2% (2014 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.2% (2014 est.)

1.3% (2013 est.)

Labor force

25.51 million (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

3.9%

industry

28.3%

services

67.8% (2011)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$480.5 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$431.5 billion (31 December 2011)

$318.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

29.9% (2012 est.)

Public debt

134.1% of GDP (2014 est.)

132.6% of GDP (2013 est.)

note

Italy reports its data on public debt according to guidelines set out in the Maastricht Treaty; general government gross debt is defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year, in the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); the general government sector comprises the central government, state government, local government and social security funds

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$145.5 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$2.134 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.284 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$763.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$733.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$552.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$538.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$3.319 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$3.613 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.185 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.264 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

note

see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 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

Taxes and other revenues

46.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

12.8% (2014 est.)

12.2% (2013 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

385.8 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

14,640 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - imports

1.387 million bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - production

112,800 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

560.5 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

Electricity - consumption

307.2 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - exports

2.181 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

66.3% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

12.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

20.9% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - imports

44.34 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

124.2 million kW (2012 est.)

Electricity - production

286.2 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

70.07 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

228 million cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

61.96 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

7.735 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

59.43 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

1.315 million bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

628,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

347,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

1.692 million bbl/day (2012 est.)

Broadcast media

two Italian media giants dominate - the publicly owned Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) with 3 national terrestrial stations and privately owned Mediaset with 3 national terrestrial stations; 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 users

percent of population

59.9% (2014 est.)

total

37 million

Radio broadcast stations

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

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 (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

33 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

20.57 million

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

153 (2014 est.)

total

94.2 million

Television broadcast stations

358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)

Airports

129 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

18

2,438 to 3,047 m

31

914 to 1,523 m

29

over 3,047 m

9

total

98

under 914 m

11 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

20 (2013)

1,524 to 2,437 m

1

914 to 1,523 m

10

total

31

Heliports

5 (2013)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 105, cargo 42, carrier 1, chemical tanker 164, container 21, liquefied gas 28, passenger 25, passenger/cargo 154, petroleum tanker 59, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 39, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 30

foreign-owned

90 (Denmark 4, France 2, Greece 7, Luxembourg 14, Netherlands 2, Nigeria 1, Norway 6, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 13, Taiwan 10, Turkey 4, UK 2, US 23)

registered in other countries

201 (Bahamas 1, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 7, Cyprus 6, Georgia 2, Gibraltar 4, Greece 5, Liberia 47, Malta 45, Marshall Islands 1, Morocco 1, Netherlands 6, Panama 25, Portugal 12, Russia 14, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Singapore 5, Slovakia 2, Spain 1, Sweden 5, Turkey 1, UK 3, unknown 1) (2010)

total

681

Pipelines

gas 20,223 km; oil 1,393 km; refined products 1,574 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Genoa (1,847,648), Gioia Tauro (2,264,798), La Spezia (1,307,274)

LNG terminal(s) (import)

La Spezia, Panigaglia, Porto Levante

major seaport(s)

Augusta, Cagliari, Genoa, Livorno, Taranto, Trieste, Venice

oil terminals

Melilli (Santa Panagia) oil terminal, Sarroch oil terminal

Railways

narrow gauge

122.3 km 1.000-m gauge (122.3 km electrified); 1,289.3 km 0.950-m gauge (151.3 km electrified) (2014)

standard gauge

18,770.1 km 1.435-m gauge (12,893.6 km electrified)

total

20,181.7 km

Roadways

paved

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

total

487,700 km

Waterways

2,400 km (used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail) (2012)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

14,003,755 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

13,865,688

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

11,348,695 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

11,247,446

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

281,671 (2010 est.)

male

288,188

Military branches

Italian Armed Forces: Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2011)

Military expenditures

1.69% of GDP (2012)

1.72% of GDP (2011)

1.69% of GDP (2010)

Military service age and obligation

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in any military branch; Italian citizenship required; 1-year service obligation (2013)

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

13,357 (Eritrea); 12,213 (Somalia); 8,991 (Afghanistan); 6,293 (Nigeria); 5,764 (Pakistan); 5,552 (Mali) (2014)

stateless persons

813 (2014)