Italy

republicIndependence 17 March 1861, Kingdom of Italy proclaimed

Italy as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalRome

Area301,230 km2

Populationas each edition published it

57.9 million July 1992 · 57.66m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.2% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 41 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 77.43 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.4 children per woman 1992 · 1.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 6 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $17,500 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.9% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Total area

301,230km2

Comparative area: slightly larger than Arizona

Coastline

4,996km

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitationTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

1,899.2km

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

Land area

294, 020 km2; includes Sardinia and Sicily

Climate

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

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Natural resources

mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal

Land use

arable land 32%;
permanent crops 10%;
meadows and pastures 17%;
forest and woodland 22%;
other 19%;
includes irrigated 10%

Environment

regional risks include land-slides, mudflows, snowslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding, pollution; land sinkage in Venice

Note

strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

People

14 fields

Population

57,904,628

(July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

10Death

10Net migration

Literacy

97%

(male 98%, female 96%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Ethnic divisions

primarily Italian but population includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south;
Sicilians;
Sardinians

Languages

Italian;
parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking;
small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region;
Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area

Labor force

23,988,000; services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)

Government

Republic

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

33.9%

DC 33.9%PCI 28.3%PSI 10.7%other 27.1%

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

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

National holiday

Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)

Executive branch

president, prime minister (president of the Council of Ministers)

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) consists of an upper chamber or Senate of the Republic (Senato della Repubblica) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Guiliano AMATO (since 28 June 1992); Deputy Prime Minister

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Party (DC), Arnaldo FORLANI (general secretary), Ciriaco De MITA (president);
Socialist Party (PSI), Bettino CRAXI (party secretary);
Social Democratic Party (PSDI), Carlo VIZZINI (party secretary);
Liberal Party (PLI), Renato ALTISSIMO (secretary general);
Democratic Party of the Left (PDS - was Communist Party, or PCI, until January 1991), Achille OCCHETTO (secretary general);
Italian Social Movement (MSI), Gianfranco FINI (national secretary);
Republican Party (PRI), Giorgio La MALFA (political secretary);
Lega Nord (Northern League), Umberto BOSSI, president

Suffrage

universal at age 18 (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)

Elections

Senate:: last held 5-6 April 1992 (next to be held by April 1997);
results - DC 33.9%, PCI 28.3%, PSI 10.7%, other 27.1%;
seats - (326 total, 315 elected) DC 107, PDS 64, PSI 49, Leagues 25, other 70
Chamber of Deputies:: last held 5-6 April 1992 (next to be held April 1997);
results - DC 29.7%, PDS 26.6%, PSI 13.6%, Leagues 8.7%, Communist Renewal 5.6%, MSI 5.4%, PRI 4.4%, PLI 2.8%, PSDI 2.7%, other 11%

Other political or pressure groups

the Roman Catholic Church;
three major trade union confederations (CGIL - Communist dominated, CISL - Christian Democratic, and UIL - Social Democratic, Socialist, and Republican);
Italian manufacturers association (Confindustria);
organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)

AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group, AsDB, BIS, CCC, CDB (nonregional member), CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IEA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, MTCR, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Boris BIANCHERI CHIAPPORI;
Chancery at 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009;
telephone (202) 328-5500;
there are Italian Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Consulates in Detroit and Newark (New Jersey)

US:: Ambassador Peter F. SECCHIA;
Embassy at Via Veneto 119/A, 00187, Rome (mailing address is APO AE 09624);
telephone [39] (6) 46741, FAX [39] (6) 467-2356;
there are US Consulates General in Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, and Palermo (Sicily)

Flag

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 Ivory Coast, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green

Economy

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

6.5%

(1991)

Unemployment rate

11.0%

(1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$431 billionExpenditures

$565 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $48 billion (1991)

Overview

Since World War II the 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. The country is still divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by small private companies, and an undeveloped agricultural south, dominated by large public enterprises.

Services account for 48% of GDP, industry about 35%, agriculture 4%, and public administration 13%. Most raw materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements must be imported. After growing at an annual average rate of 3% during the period 1983-90, growth slowed to about 1% in 1991.

For the 1990s, Italy faces the problems of refurbishing a tottering communications system, curbing pollution in major industrial centers, and adjusting to the new competitive forces accompanying the ongoing economic integration of the European Community.

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $965.0 billion, per capita $16,700; real growth rate 1.0% (1991 est.)

Exports

$209 billion (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:: textiles, wearing apparel, metals, transportation equipment, chemicals
partners:: EC 58.5%, US 8%, OPEC 4%

Imports

$222 billion (c.i.f., 1991)

commodities:: petroleum, industrial machinery, chemicals, metals, food, agricultural products
partners:: EC 58%, OPEC 7%, US 5%

External debt

Industrial production

growth rate - 2.0% (1991); accounts for almost 35% of GDP

Electricity

57,500,000 kW capacity; 235,000 million kWh produced, 4,072 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for about 4% of GDP and 10% of the work force;
self-sufficient in foods other than meat and dairy products;
principal crops - fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives;
fish catch of 388,200 metric tons in 1988

Economic aid

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $25.9 billion

Currency

Italian lira (plural - lire); 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi

Exchange rates

Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,248.4 (March 1992), 1,240.6 (January 1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 546 ships by type

passenger 17short-sea passenger 39cargo 94refrigerated cargo 4container 24roll-on/roll-off cargo 66vehicle carrier 9multifunction large-load carrier 1livestock carrier 1petroleum tanker 142chemical tanker 33liquefied gas 39specialized tanker 10combination ore/oil 10bulk 55combination bulk 2546 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,004,462 GRT/10,265,132 DWT

Airports, 137 total, 134 usable

permanent-surface runways

91runways | over 3,659 m

2runways 2,440-3,659 m

36runways 1,220-2,439 m

Railroads

20,011 km total;
16,066 km 1.435-meter government-owned standard gauge (8,999 km electrified);
3,945 km privately owned - 2,100 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (1,155 km electrified) and 1,845 km 0.950-meter narrow gauge (380 km electrified)

Highways

294,410 km total;
autostrada (expressway) 5,900 km, state highways 45,170 km, provincial highways 101,680 km, communal highways 141,660 km;
260,500 km paved, 26,900 km gravel and crushed stone, 7,010 km earth

Inland 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

modern, well-developed, fast;
25,600,000 telephones;
fully automated telephone, telex, and data services;
high-capacity cable and radio relay trunks;
very good broadcast service by stations - 135 AM, 28 (1,840 repeaters) FM, 83 (1,000 repeaters) TV;
international service by 21 submarine cables;
3 satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT with 3 Atlantic Ocean antennas and 2 Indian Ocean antennas;
also participates in INMARSAT and EUTELSAT systems