Italy

Italian RepublicRepubblica Italiana

republicIndependence 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed)

Italy as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 102 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
1997

Every edition of Italy

Populationas each edition published it
56.83 million July 1997 est. · 57.66m in 1990
Population growth% a year
-0.08% 1997 est. · 0.2% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 41 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
78.25 years 1997 est. · 77.43 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.16 children per woman 1997 est. · 1.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 6 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$19,600 1996 est. · $17,500 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
0.8% 1996 est. · 0.9% in 1993

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 301,230 sq km

arable land 31%permanent crops 10%permanent pastures 15%forests and woodland 23%other 21% (1993 est.)irrigated 27,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
301,230sq km
land : 294,020 sq kmwater: 7,210 sq kmnote: includes Sardinia and Sicilyslightly larger than Arizona
Coastline
7,600km
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationterritorial sea: 12 nm
Highest point
4,807m
Mont Blanclowest point : Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Land boundaries
1,932.2km
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

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

42 50 N, 12 50 E

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

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-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, Tropical Timber 94

Geography - note

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

People

15 fields
Population
56,830,508
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: -0.08% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
8.96Death
10.07Net migration
0.27

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1997 est.)78.25
75.13 · 81.58
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1990 est.)97%
98% · 96%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition : age 15 and over can read and write

Age structure

0-14 years : 15% (male 4,234,767; female 3,997,589)

15-64 years:
68% (male 19,314,674; female 19,442,196)
65 years and over:
17% (male 4,028,659; female 5,812,623) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.69 male(s)/female
total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.16 children born/woman (1997 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)

Government

Republic; President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)

22 fields

Senate, 630 seats, elected 21 April 1996seats by party

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

Country name

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

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)

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) Romano PRODI (since 18 May 1996)
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 1999);
  • prime minister appointed by the president
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 popularly elected of which 232 are directly elected and 83 by regional proportional representation, 11 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)

Olive Tree (Ulivo)

  • Democratic Party of the Left or PDS [Massimo D'ALEMA];
  • Greens (Verdi) [Carlo RIPA DI MEANA];
  • Italian Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI];
  • Italian Popular Party or PPI [Franco MARINI - elected 12 January 1997]

Freedom Pole

  • Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI];
  • National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI];
  • Christian Democratic Center or CCD [Pierferdinando CASINI];
  • Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE]
other:
  • Northern League or NL [Umberto BOSSI];
  • Communism Refoundation or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI];
  • Italian Social Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma Tricolore [Pino RAUTI];
  • Pannella-Sgarbi's List (Lista Pannella-Sgarbi) [Marco PANNELLA];
  • Italian Socialists or SI [Enrico BOSELLI];
  • Autonomous List (a group of minor parties);
  • Southern Tyrols List or SVP (German speakers)

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • 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-right);
  • 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, CE (observer), 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, IHO, 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, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, 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, San Francisco
consulate(s):
Detroit and New Orleans

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Reginald BARTHOLOMEW
embassy :
Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address:
PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
telephone:
[39] (6) 46741

FAX

[39] (6) 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

22 fields
Real growth rate
0.8%
(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 0.5% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate
12%
(1996 est.)
Labor force
22.851million
by occupation: services 61%, industry 32%, agriculture 7% (1996)

GDP - composition by sector(1994)

agriculture 3.3%industry 33%services 63.7% (1994)

Budget

Revenues
$416 billionExpenditures
$506 billion (1996 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

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.

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 November 1996 the lire rejoined the European monetary system, which it had left in September 1992 when under extreme pressure in currency markets.

Italy in early 1997 faces the problem of restructuring its economy to meet Maastricht criteria for inclusion in the EMU, together with other problems of refurbishing a tottering communications system, curbing industrial pollution, and adjusting to new EU and global competitive forces.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.12 trillion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $19,600 (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity - capacity

57.19 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production

241.6 billion kWh (1995)

Agriculture - products

  • fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives;
  • meat and dairy products;
  • fish catch of 525,000 metric tons in 1990

Exports

total value:
$250 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
metals, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transportation equipment, chemicals
partners :
EU 53.4%, US 7.8%, OPEC 3.8%

Imports

total value:
$205 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
commodities :
industrial machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, petroleum, metals, food, agricultural products
partners:
EU 56.3%, OPEC 5.3%, US 4.6%

Debt - external

$45 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $3.043 billion (1993)

Currency

1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi

Exchange rates

Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,568.1 (January 1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4 (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
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

83 (repeaters 1,000)

Televisions

17 million (1996 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
34
over 3,047 m : 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 24

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
paved:
305,388 km (including 6,301 km of expressways)
unpaved:
0 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 and harbors

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

Merchant marine

total :
396 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,503,637 GRT/7,794,505 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 36, cargo 50, chemical tanker 39, combination ore/oil 2, container 17, liquefied gas tanker 36, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 106, passenger 7, roll-on/roll-off cargo 54, short-sea passenger 30, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 7 (1996 est.)

Airports

132 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total : 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 18 (1996 est.)

Heliports

2 (1996 est.)

Military

Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

7 fields

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 14,356,666 (1997 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

  • Italy is negotiating with Slovenia over property and minority rights issues dating from World War II;
  • Croatia and Italy have not resolved a bilateral issue dating from WWII 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 JAMAICA

Central Intelligence Agency. “Italy.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/italy/1997.

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