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Italy
Introduction
Background: Italy failed to secure political unification until the
1860s, thus lacking the military and imperial power of Spain, Britain,
and France. The fascist dictatorship of MUSSOLINI after World War I, led
to the disastrous alliance with HITLER's Germany and defeat in World War
II. Italy was a founding member of the European Economic Community (EEC)
and joined in the growing political and economic unification of Western
Europe, including the introduction of the euro in January 1999. On-going
problems include illegal immigration, the ravages of organized crime, high
unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of Southern Italy
compared with the North.
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 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km
water: 7,210 sq km
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, dwindling
natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal
Land use: arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,100 sq km (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 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
People
Population: 56,735,130 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14% (male 4,161,841; female 3,925,413)
15-64 years: 68% (male 19,205,293; female 19,285,848)
65 years and over: 18% (male 4,169,098; female 5,987,637) (1999
est.)
Population growth rate: -0.08% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 9.27 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 10.28 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.51 years
male: 75.4 years
female: 81.82 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.22 children born/woman (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: Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%
Languages: Italian, 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: 97%
male: 98%
female: 96% (1990 est.)
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
Data code: IT
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)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)
Constitution: 1 January 1948
Legal system: based on civil law system, with ecclesiastical
law influence; appeals treated as trials de novo; 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 Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May
1992)
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as
the president of the Council of Ministers) Massimo D'ALEMA (since 27 October
1998)
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 25 May 1992 (next to be held NA June 1999); prime
minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament
election results: Oscar Luigi SCALFARO elected president; percent
of electoral college vote—NA
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists
of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (326 seats—315 elected by popular
vote of which 232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by regional proportional
representation, 11 are appointed senators-for-life; 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 21 April 1996 (next to be held by
NA April 2001); Chamber of Deputies—last held 21 April 1996 (next to be
held by NA April 2001)
election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats
by party—Olive Tree 157, Freedom Alliance 116, Northern League 27, Refounded
Communists 10, regional lists 3, Social Movement-Tricolor Flames 1, Panella
Reformers 1; Chamber of Deputies—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by
party—Olive Tree 284, Freedom Alliance 246, Northern League 59, Refounded
Communists 35, Southern Tyrol List 3, Autonomous List 2, other 1
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: Olive Tree (Ulivo): Democrats of the Left or DS [Walter VELTRONI];
Greens (Verdi) [Luigi MANCONI]; Italian Popular Party or PPI [Franco MARINI]
Freedom Pole: Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National
Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Christian Democratic Center or CCD [Pierferdinando
CASINI]; Democratic Union for the Republic or UDR [Clemente MASTELLA]
other: Northern League or NL [Umberto BOSSI]; Communist Refoundation
or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italian Social Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma
Tricolore [Pino RAUTI]; Italian Socialists or SI [Enrico BOSSELLI]; Italian
Communist Party or PDCI [Armando COSSUTTA]; Autonomous List (a group of
minor parties) [leader NA]; Southern Tyrols People's Party or SVP (German
speakers) [leader NA]; Italy of Values [Antonio DIPIETRO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: the 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); Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria,
Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)
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,
MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP,
UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO
chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 and 2700
16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 328-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 483-2187
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 Thomas M. FOGLIETTA
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
Economy
Economy—overview: Since World War II, the Italian economy has changed
from one based on agriculture into a ranking industrial economy, with approximately
the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This basically
capitalistic economy is still divided into a developed industrial north,
dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south,
with large public enterprises and more than 20% unemployment. Most raw
materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements must be
imported. In the second half of 1992, Rome became unsettled by the prospect
of not qualifying to participate in EU plans for economic and monetary
union later in the decade; thus, it finally began to address its huge fiscal
imbalances. Subsequently, the government has adopted fairly stringent budgets,
abandoned its inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale
back its generous social welfare programs, including pension and health
care benefits. In December 1998, Italy adopted a budget compliant with
the requirements of the European Monetary Union (EMU); representatives
of government, labor, and employers agreed to an update of the 1993 "social
pact," which has been widely credited with having brought Italy's inflation
into conformity with EMU requirements. In 1999, Italy must adjust to the
loss of an independent monetary policy, which it has used quite liberally
in the past to help cope with external shocks. Italy also must work to
stimulate employment, promote wage flexibility, and tackle the informal
economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$1.181 trillion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 1.5% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$20,800 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 33%
services: 63.7% (1994)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 23.7% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 23.193 million
Labor force—by occupation: services 61%, industry 32%, agriculture
7% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 12.5% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $559 billion
expenditures: $589 billion, including capital expenditures of
$NA (1998 est.)
Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food
processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1996 est.)
Electricity—production: 226.707 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 80.02%
hydro: 18.25%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.73%
Electricity—consumption: 264.007 billion kWh (1996
Electricity—exports: 800 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 38.1 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes,
sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish
Exports: $243 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
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 16.4%, France 12.2%, US 7.9%, UK 7.1%,
Spain 5.2%, Netherlands 2.8% (1997)
Imports: $202 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports—commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport
equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and
clothing; food, beverages and tobacc
Imports—partners: Germany 18.0%, France 13.2%, UK 6.7%, Netherlands
6.2%, US 5.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4.7% (1997
Debt—external: $45 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $1.6 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1—1,688.7 (January
1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995),
1,612.4 (1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member
countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 1,936.27
lire per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries
for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 25.6 million (1996 est.)
Telephone system: 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 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840), shortwave
0
Radios: 45.7 million (1996 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 6,317 (consisting of 117 public
stations with two kW of power or more, about 5,300 low-power public stations,
and about 900 low-power private stations, mostly in local service) (1997)
Televisions: 17 million (1996 est.)
Transportation
Railways: total: 19,272 km
standard gauge: 17,983 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS)
operates 15,942 km of the total standard gauge routes (10,889 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 1,177
km 0.950-m gauge (19 km electrified) (1996)
Highways: total: 317,000 km
paved: 317,000 km (including 9,500 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 2,400 km 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
Merchant marine: total: 393 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,982,870 GRT/8,413,850
DWT
ships by type: bulk 38, cargo 46, chemical tanker 60, combination
ore/oil 2, container 16, liquefied gas tanker 35, livestock carrier 1,
multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 84, passenger 6, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 53, short-sea passenger 28, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier
11 (1998 est.)
Airports: 136 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 97
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 12 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 39
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri
Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower—availability: males age 15-49: 14,142,889 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service: males age 15-49: 12,200,780 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually: males: 315,952 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $21.095 billion (FY97)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 1.9% (1995)
