Italy

§1. Italy Introduction

Background:
  Italy became a nation-state belatedly - 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, the ravages of organized
  crime, corruption, high unemployment, and the low incomes and technical
  standards of southern Italy compared with the more prosperous north.

§2. Italy Geography

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

Geographic coordinates:
  42 50 N, 12 50 E

Map references:
  Europe

Area:
  total: 301,230 kmē
  land: 294,020 kmē
  water: 7,210 kmē
  note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Area - comparative:
  slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries:
  total: 1,932.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See
    (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740
    km

Coastline:
  7,600 km

Maritime claims:
  continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
  territorial sea: 12 NM

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

Terrain:
  mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte
    Bianco) 4,807 m

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

Land use:
  arable land: 31%
  permanent crops: 10%
  permanent pastures: 15%
  forests and woodland: 23%
  other: 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  27,100 kmē (1993 est.)

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

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

Geography - note:
  strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea
  and air approaches to Western Europe

§3. Italy People

Population:
  57,679,825 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 14.17% (male 4,209,102; female 3,964,765)
  15-64 years: 67.48% (male 19,375,742; female 19,546,332)
  65 years and over: 18.35% (male 4,368,264; female 6,215,620) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.07% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  9.05 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  10.07 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 79.14 years male: 75.97 years
  female: 82.52 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.18 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.35% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  95,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  1,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Italian(s)
  adjective: Italian

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

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

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)

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 98% (1998)
  male: NA%
  female: NA%

§4. Italy Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Italian Republic
  conventional short form: Italy
  local long form: Repubblica Italiana
  local short form: Italia
  former: Kingdom of Italy

Government type:
  republic

Capital:
  Rome

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

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

National holiday:
  Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Constitution:
  1 January 1948

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

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

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (since 13 May 1999)
  head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president
    of the Council of Ministers) Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 10 June 2001)
  cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved
    by the president
  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
  election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected president; percent of
    electoral college vote - 70%
  note: a 12-party government coalition; note - BERLUSCONI's coalition
    includes Forza Italian, National Alliance, Christian Democratic Center,
    Christian Northern League

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 plus, in
  addition, there are a small number of senators-for-life including former
  presidents of the republic; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber
  of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected,
  155 by regional proportional representation; members serve five-year terms)
  elections: Senate - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006);
    Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
  election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
    House of Liberties 177 (Forza Italia 82, National Alliance 46, CCD-CDU
    29, Northern League 17, others 3), Olive Tree 128 (Democrats of the Left
    62, Daisy Alliance 42, Sunflower Alliance 16, Italian Communist Party 3,
    independents 5), non-affiliated with either coalition 10, senators for
    life 9; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
    party - House of Liberties 367 (Forza Italia 189, National Alliance 96,
    CCD-CDU 40, Northern League 30, others 12), Olive Tree 248 (Democrats of
    the Left 138, Daisy Alliance 76, Sunflower Alliance 18, Italian Communist
    Party 9, independents 7), non-affiliated with either coalition 15

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)

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; Christian Democratic Center or CDC [Pier Ferdinando
  CASINI]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE]; Communist
  Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI];
  Green Federation [Grazia FRANCESCATO]; House of Liberties (formerly Freedom
  Alliance, a center-right coalition) [leader Silvio BERLUSCONI] - Forza
  Italian, National Alliance, Christian Democratic Center, Christian
  Democratic Union, Northern League; Italian Communist Party or PdCI
  [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Italian Democratic Socialists [Enrico BOSELLI];
  Italian Popular Party [Pierluigi CASTAGNETTI]; Italian Renewal [Lamberto
  DINI]; Italian Social Movement-Tricolored Flame or MSI-FI [Pino RAUTI];
  National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Northern League or NL [Umberto
  BOSSI]; Radical Party (formerly Panella Reformers and Autonomous List)
  [Marco PANNELLA]; Southern Tyrols People's Party or SVP (German speakers)
  [Siegfried BRUGGER]; Union of Democrats for Europe [Clemente MASTELLA]; The
  Democrats [Arturo PARISI]

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 [Sergio D'ANTONI] which is Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del
  Lavoro or UIL [Pietro LARIZZA] which is lay centrist)

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO chancery: 3000 Whitehaven
    Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400
  FAX: [1] (202) 518-2154
  consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los
    Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
  consulate(s): Detroit

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
  mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
  telephone: [39] (06) 46741
  FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672
  consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

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

§5. Italy Economy

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 agricultural south, with more than 20% unemployment.
  Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy
  requirements are imported. Since 1992, Italy has adopted budgets compliant
  with the requirements of the European Monetary Union (EMU); wage moderation
  agreements by representatives of government, labor, and employers have
  helped to bring Italy's inflation into conformity with EMU requirements.
  Italy's economic performance, however, has lagged behind that of its EU
  partners and it must work to stimulate employment, promote labor
  flexibility, reform its expensive pension system, and tackle the informal
  economy.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $1.273 trillion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  2.7% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $22,100 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 2.5% industry: 30.4%
  services: 67.1% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 21.8% (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.5% (2000)

Labor force:
  23.4 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
  services 61.9%, industry 32.6%, agriculture 5.5% (1999)

Unemployment rate:
  10.4% (2000 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $488 billion
  expenditures: $501 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000
    est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  1.9% (2000)

Electricity - production:
  247.679 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 79.09% hydro: 18.08%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 2.83% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  272.35 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  530 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  42.539 billion kWh (1999)

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

Exports:
  $241.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities:
  engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor
  vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco;
  minerals and nonferrous metals

Exports - partners:
  EU 56.8% (Germany 16.4%, France 12.9%, Netherlands 7.1%, Spain 6.3%,
  Netherlands 2.9%), US 9.5% (1999)

Imports:
  $231.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

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

Imports - partners:
  EU 61% (Germany 19.3%, France 12.6%, Netherlands 6.3%, Spain 4.4%), US 5.0%
  (1999)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - donor:
  ODA, $1.3 billion (1997)

Currency:
  Italian lira (ITL); euro (EUR)
  note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency
    that is now being used by financial institutions in Italy at a fixed rate
    of 1,936.27 Italian lire per euro and will replace the local currency for
    all transactions in 2002

Currency code:
  ITL; EUR

Exchange rates:
  euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999);
  Italian lire per US dollar - 1,688.7 (January 1999), 1,736.2 (1998),
  1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Italy Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  25 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  20.5 million (1999)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated
    telephone, telex, and data services
  domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
  international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5
    antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
    (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios:
  50.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
  30.3 million (1997)

Internet country code:
  .it

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)

Internet users:
  11.6 million (2000)

§7. Italy Transportation

Railways:
  total: 19,394 km
  standard gauge: 18,071 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS) operates
    16,014 km of the total standard gauge routes (11,322 km electrified)
  narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 1,211 km 0.950-m
    gauge (153 km electrified) (1998)

Highways:
  total: 654,676 km
  paved: 654,676 km (including 6460 km of expressways)
  unpaved: 0 km (1997)

Waterways:
  2,400 km
  note: for various types of commercial traffic, although of limited overall
    value

Pipelines:
  crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural gas 19,400 km

Ports and harbors:
  Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno,
  Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Salerno, Savona,
  Taranto, Trieste, Venice (2001)

Merchant marine:
  total: 445 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,005,136 GRT/10,556,244 DWT
  ships by type: bulk 44, cargo 41, chemical tanker 77, combination ore/oil
    4, container 24, liquefied gas 38, multi-functional large-load carrier 1,
    passenger 11, petroleum tanker 85, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off
    64, short-sea passenger 26, specialized tanker 14, vehicle carrier 15
    (2000 est.)

Airports:
  135 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 97 over 3,047 m: 5
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
  914 to 1,523 m: 31
  under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
  914 to 1,523 m: 18
  under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.)

Heliports:
  4 (2000 est.)

§8. Italy Military

Military branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

Military manpower - military age:
  18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 14,248,674 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 12,244,166 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 304,369 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $20.7 billion (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  1.7% (FY00/01)

§9. Italy Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Croatia and Italy made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating
  from World War II over property and ethnic minority rights

Illicit drugs:
  important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest
  Asian heroin entering the European market
