Italy

Italian RepublicRepubblica Italiana

republicIndependence 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed)

Italy as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 92 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

Position42 50 N, 12 50 E

Area301,230 sq km

LocationSouthern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central

Populationas each edition published it

57.46 million July 1996 est. · 57.66m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.13% 1996 est. · 0.2% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 41 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

78.06 years 1996 est. · 77.43 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.27 children per woman 1996 est. · 1.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 6 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$18,700 1995 est. · $17,500 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3.2% 1995 est. · 0.9% in 1993

Geography

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

15 fields

Land useshare of 301,230 sq km

arable land 32%permanent crops 10%meadows and pastures 17%forest and woodland 22%other 19%irrigated 31,000 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

301,230sq km

land area: 294,020 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than Arizonanote: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Coastline

7,600km

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

1,935.2km

border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 235 km, Switzerland 740 km

Location

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

International disputes

Italy is negotiating with Slovenia over property and minority rights issues dating from World War II

Climate

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

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

lowest point:: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point:: Mont Blanc 4,807 m

Natural resources

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

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
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 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling;
signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification

Geographic note

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

People

15 fields

Population

57,460,274

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 0.13% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

9.87Death

9.82Net migration

1.25

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years78.06

74.85 · 81.48

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy97%

98% · 96%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 15% (male 4,419,636; female 4,167,860)
15-64 years:: 68% (male 19,656,546; female 19,629,291)
65 years and over:: 17% (male 3,902,426; female 5,684,515) (July 1996 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:: 0.69 male(s)/female
all ages:: 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Nationality

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

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)

Government

Republic; President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992) was elected for a seven-year term by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives; Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the President of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 18 May 1996) was appointed by the president

24 fields

Legislature, 315 seatsseats by party

(326 total, 315 elected, 11 appointed senators-for-life) Olive Tree 157Freedom Alliance 116Northern League 27Refounded Communists 10regional lists 3Social Movement-Tricolor Flames 1Panella Reformers 1

Legislature, 630 seatsseats by party

Olive Tree 284Freedom Alliance 246Northern League 59Refounded Communists 35Southern Tyrol List 3Autonomous List 2other 1

Name of country

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

Data code

Type of government

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) was elected for a seven-year term by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives
head of government:: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the President of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 18 May 1996) was appointed by the president
cabinet:: Council of Ministers was nominated by the President of the Council (i.e., Prime Minister) and approved by the President of the Republic

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Parlamento)

Senate (Senato della Repubblica)

elections last held 22 April 1996 (next to be held by NA);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (326 total, 315 elected, 11 appointed senators-for-life) 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 (Camera dei Deputati)

elections last held 22 April 1996 (next to be held NA);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (630 total) 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 (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)

Olive Tree

Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), Massimo D'ALEMA;
Greens, Carlo RIPA DI MEANA;
Italian Renewal, Lamberto DINI;
Southern Tyrols List (German speakers)

Freedom Alliance

Forza Italia (FI), Silvio BERLUSCONI;
National Alliance (AN), Gianfranco FINI;
Christian Democratic Center (CCD), Pier Ferdinando CASINI;
Democratic Union Party, Antonio MACCANICO

other:: Northern League (NL), Umberto BOSSI;
Italian Social Movement, Pino RAUTI;
Communist Refoundation (RC), Fausto BERTINOTTI;
Italian Socialists, Enrico BOSELLI;
Rete (The Network), Leoluca ORLANDO;
Christian Socialists, Luciano GUERZONI;
Democratic Pact for Italy, Mario SEGNI;
Italian Popular Party (PPI), Gerardo BIANCO;
Pannella's Reformers, Marco PANNELLA;
Christian Democratic Union (United Christian Democrats - CDU), Rocco BUTTIGLIONE;
Democratic Alliance, Willer BORDON;
Union for the New Republic, Raffaele COSTA;
Unitary Communists, Famiano CRUCIANELLI;
Autonomous List (a group of minor parties);
Social Movement-Tricolor Flames

Other political or pressure groups

the Roman Catholic Church;
three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL which is PDS-dominated, Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL which is centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL which is center-left);
Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio);
organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)

International organization participation

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO
chancery:: 1601 Fuller 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, San Francisco
consulate(s):: Detroit and New Orleans

US diplomatic representation

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

21 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$18,700

(1995 est.)

Real growth rate

3.2%

(1995 est.)industrial production growth: 5.5% (1995 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

5.4%

(1995)

Unemployment rate

12.2%

(January 1995)

GDP composition by sector(1994)

agriculture 2.9%industry 31.6%services 65.5% (1994)

Budget

Revenues

$339 billionExpenditures

$431 billion (1994 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 61,630,000 kW

Electricity production

209 billionElectricity consumption per capita

4,033 (1993)

Economic 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.

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. 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 pushing ahead with fiscal reform, refurbishing a tottering communications system, curbing pollution in major industrial centers, and adjusting to the new competitive forces accompanying the ongoing expansion and economic integration of the EU.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.0886 trillion (1995 est.)

Labor force

23.988 million; by occupation: services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)

Industries

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

Agriculture

fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives;
meat and dairy products;
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

Exports

$190.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:: metals, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transportation equipment, chemicals
partners:: EU 53.4%, US 7.8%, OPEC 3.8% (1994)

Imports

$168.7 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities:: industrial machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, petroleum, metals, food, agricultural products
partners:: EU 56.3%, OPEC 5.3%, US 4.6% (1994)

External debt

$67 billion (1993 est.)

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $3.043 billion (1993)

Currency

1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi

Exchange rates

Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,583.8 (January 1996), 1,629.6 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4 (1992), 1,240.6 (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 132 in all

over 3 047 m

2 438 to 3 047 m

1 524 to 2 437 m

914 to 1 523 m

under 914 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

305,388Railways

18,961

Highways: (including 45,076 km major roads, 112,111 km secondary roads, 6,301 km motorways) · paved: 271,674 km · unpaved: 33,714 km (1991 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 17,981 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS) operates 16,118 km of the total standard gauge routes (10,560 km electrified) · narrow gauge: 113 km 1.000-m gauge (113 km electrified); 867 km 0.950-m gauge (144 km electrified)

Railways

total:: 18,961 km
standard gauge:: 17,981 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS) operates 16,118 km of the total standard gauge routes (10,560 km electrified)
narrow gauge:: 113 km 1.000-m gauge (113 km electrified); 867 km 0.950-m gauge (144 km electrified)

Highways

total:: 305,388 km (including 45,076 km major roads, 112,111 km secondary roads, 6,301 km motorways)
paved:: 271,674 km
unpaved:: 33,714 km (1991 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

Ancona, Augusta, Bari, Cagliari (Sardinia), Catania, Gaeta, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples, Oristano (Sardinia), Palermo (Sicily), Piombino, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Ravenna, Savona, Trieste, Venice

Merchant marine

total:: 419 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,480,320 GRT/7,919,064 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 35, cargo 57, chemical tanker 39, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 16, liquefied gas tanker 37, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 123, passenger 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 53, short-sea passenger 31, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 7 (1995 est.)

Heliports

2 (1995 est.)

Communications

Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

9 fields

Fixed lines

25.6 million

(1987 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

males age 15-49:: 14,739,097
males fit for military service:: 12,769,628
males reach military age (18) annually:: 358,884 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $20.4 billion, 1.9% of GDP (1995)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Italy.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/italy/1996.

How to cite ← 1995 edition 1997 edition →