Italy

republicIndependence 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed)

Italy as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 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
LocationSouthern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean
1994

Every edition of Italy

Populationas each edition published it
58.14 million July 1994 est. · 57.66m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.21% 1994 est. · 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
1.39 children per woman 1994 est. · 1.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
7.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 6 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$16,700 1993 · $17,500 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-0.7% 1993 · 0.9% in 1993

Geography

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean | Sea

24 fields
Coastline
4,996km
Land boundaries
1,899.2km
total · Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km
Irrigated land
31,000sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea

Map references

Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

301,230 sq km

land area

294,020 sq km

comparative area

slightly larger than Arizona

note

includes Sardinia and Sicily

continental shelf

200-m depth or to 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

Natural resources

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

arable land

32%

permanent crops

10%

meadows and pastures

17%

forest and woodland

22%

other

19%

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

natural hazards

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

international agreements

  • party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands;
  • signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Note

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

People

21 fields
Population
58,138,394
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 0.21% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
10.79Death
9.71Net migration
1.03
Labor force
23.988million
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

77.64 years

male

74.44 years

female

81.04 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.39 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Italian(s)

adjective

Italian

Ethnic divisions

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

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)

total population

97%

male

98%

female

96%

by occupation

services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)

Government

Republic

38 fields

Legislature, 630 seatsseats by party

Northern League 117PDS 114Forza Italia 113Communist Refounding 39Christian Democratic Center 33Popular Party 33Greens and The Network 20Democratic Alliance 18Socialist Party 16Pact for Italy 13Christian Socialists 5

conventional long form

Italian Republic

conventional short form

Italy

local long form

Repubblica Italiana

local short form

Italia

former

Kingdom of Italy

Type

republic

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

Suffrage

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

chief of state

President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)

head of government

Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 11 May 1994)

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Parlamento)

Senate (Senato della Repubblica)

  • elections last held 27-28 March 1994 (next expected to be held by spring 2001);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (326 total; 315 elected, 11 appointed senators-for-life) PDS 61, Northern League 60, National Alliance 48, Forza Italia 36, Popular Party 31, Communist Refounding 18, Greens and The Network 13, Socialist Party 13, Christian Democratic Center 12, Democratic Alliance 8, Christian Socialists 5, Pact for Italy 4, Radical Party 1, others 5

Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati)

  • elections last held 27-28 March 1994 (next expected to be held by spring 2001);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (630 total) Northern League 117, PDS 114, Forza Italia 113, National Alliance 109, Communist Refounding 39, Christian Democratic Center 33, Popular Party 33, Greens and The Network 20, Democratic Alliance 18, Socialist Party 16, Pact for Italy 13, Christian Socialists 5

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)

Rightists

  • Forza Italia, Silvio BERLUSCONI;
  • National Alliance (was Italian Social Movement - MSI - until January 1994), Gianfranco FINI, party secretary;
  • Lega Nord (Northern League), Umberto BOSSI, president

Leftists

  • Democratic Party of the Left (PDS - was Communist Party, or PCI, until January 1991), Achille OCCHETTO, secretary;
  • Communist Refounding, Fausto BERTINOTTI;
  • Greens, Carlo RIPA di MEARA;
  • Radical Party, Marco PANNELLA;
  • Italian Socialist Party, Ottaviano DELTURCO;
  • The Network, Leoluca ORLANDO;
  • Christian Socialists, Ermanno GORRIERI

Centrists

  • Pact for Italy, Mario SEGNI;
  • Popular Party, Rosa JERVOLINO;
  • Christian Democratic Center, Pier Ferdinando CASINI

Other political or pressure groups

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

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group, AsDB, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, 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, LAIA (observer), LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOSOM, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

chief of mission

Ambassador Boris BIANCHERI-CHIAPPORI

chancery

1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone

(202) 328-5500

consulate(s) general

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

consulate(s)

Detroit, New Orleans, and Newark (New Jersey)

chief of mission

Ambassador Reginald BARTHOLOMEW

embassy

Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome

mailing address

PSC 59, Box 100, Rome; APO AE 09624

telephone

[39] (6) 46741

FAX

[39] (6) 488-2672

consulate(s) general

Florence, Milan, Naples

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 Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green

Economy

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$16,700
(1993)
Real growth rate
-0.7%
(1993)industrial production growth: growth rate -2.8% (1993 est.); accounts for almost 35% of GDP
Unemployment rate
11.3%
(January 1994)

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

Services account for 48% of GDP, industry 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% in 1983-90, growth slowed to about 1% in 1991 and 1992 and fell by 0.7% in 1993.

In the second half of 1992, Rome became unsettled by the prospect of not qualifying to participate in EC plans for economic and monetary union later in the decade; thus it finally began to address its huge fiscal imbalances. Thanks to the determination of Prime Ministers AMATO and CIAMPI, the government adopted a fairly stringent budget for 1993 and 1994, abandoned its highly inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its extremely generous social welfare programs, including pension and health care benefits.

Monetary officials were forced to withdraw the lira from the European monetary system in September 1992 when it came under extreme pressure in currency markets. 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 Union.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $967.6 billion (1993)

revenues

$302 billion

expenditures

$391 billion, including capital expenditures of $48 billion (1993 est.)

Exports

$178.2 billion (f.o.b., 1992)

commodities

metals, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transportation equipment, chemicals, other

partners

EC 58.3%, US 6.8%, OPEC 5.1% (1992)

Imports

$188.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992)

commodities

industrial machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, petroleum, metals, food, agricultural products

partners

EC 58.8%, OPEC 6.1%, US 5.5% (1992)

External debt

$67 billion (1993 est.)

capacity

58,000,000 kW

production

235 billion kWh

consumption per capita

4,060 kWh (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • accounts for about 4% of GDP and about 9.8% of the work force;
  • self-sufficient in foods other than meat, dairy products, and cereals;
  • principal crops - fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives;
  • fish catch of 525,000 metric tons in 1990

Illicit drugs

important gateway country for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market

donor

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

Currency

1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi

Exchange rates

Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,700.2 (January 1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4 (1992), 1,240.6 (1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

15 fields

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)

total

298,000 km

paved

270,000 km (including nearly 7,000 km of expressways)

unpaved

gravel, crushed stone 23,000 km; earth 5,000 km

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

Ports

Cagliari (Sardinia), Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples, Palermo (Sicily), Taranto, Trieste, Venice

Merchant marine

474 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,055,779 GRT/8,924,779 DWT, bulk 50, cargo 72, chemical tanker 34, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 5, container 20, liquefied gas 39, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 129, passenger 8, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 62, short-sea passenger 34, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 7

total

137

usable

132

with permanent-surface runways

92

with runways over 3,659 m

2

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

36

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

39

Telecommunications

  • modern, well-developed, fast;
  • 25,600,000 telephones;
  • fully automated telephone, telex, and data services;
  • high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks;
  • broadcast 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

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

3 fields

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 14,921,411;
  • fit for military service 12,982,445;
  • reach military age (18) annually 403,017 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $16.1 billion, 1.3% of GDP (1992)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Italy.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/italy/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →