Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.
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
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)
Natural resources
coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land
Land use
arable land
26.41%
permanent crops
9.09%
other
64.5% (2005)
Irrigated land
27,500 sq km (2003)
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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe
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 90% (approximately; about one-third regularly attend services), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)
Languages
Italian (official), 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
98.4%
male
98.8%
female
98% (2001 census)
Country name
conventional long form
Italian Republic
conventional short form
Italy
local long form
Repubblica Italiana
local short form
Italia
former
Kingdom of Italy
Government type
republic
Capital
name
Rome
geographic coordinates
41 54 N, 12 29 E
time difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)
National holiday
Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
Constitution
passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times
Legal system
based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; 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 Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006)
head of government
Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 17 May 2006)
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 (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament
election results
Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth round of voting; electoral college vote - 543
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held in May 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Union 158 (DS 62, DL 39, RC 27, Together with the Union 11, other 19), House of Freedoms 154 (FI 79, AN 41, UDC 21, LEGA 13), other 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Union 348 (DS 220, RC 41, Rose in the Fist 18, Italy of Values 17, PdCI 16, Greens Federation 15, UDEUR 10, other 11), House of Freedoms 276 (FI 140, AN 71, Union of Christian and Center Democrats 39, LEGA 26), other 6
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
Center-Left Union Coalition [Romano PRODI]
Ulivo Alliance (including Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO]; Daisy-Democracy is Freedom or DL [Francesco RUTELLI]); Rose in the Fist (including Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI]; Italian Radical Party [Emma BONINO]); Together with the Union (including Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Green Federation [Alfonso PECORARO SCANIO]; United Consumers); Communist Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]; Union of Democrats for Europe or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; Republican European Movement or MRE [Luciana SBARBATI]
Center-Right Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI]
Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Union of Christian Democrats and Centrist Democrats or UDC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]; Northern League or LEGA [Umberto BOSSI]; Christian Democracy (Per la Autonomie) [Gianfranco ROTONDI]
other non-allied parties
New Italian Socialist Party or New PSI [Gianni DE MICHELIS]; Italian Republican Party or PRI [Giorgio LA MALFA]; Social Alternative [Alessandra MUSSOLINI]; Social Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma [Luca ROMAGNOLI]; Social Idea Movement with Rauti or MIS [Pino RAUTI]; South Tyrol People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Elmar Pichler ROLLE]; Union of Valley Aosta Region or UV [Guido CESAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing, Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino PEZZOTTA], which is Roman Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)
Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco
consulate(s)
Detroit
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI
embassy
Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome
mailing address
PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
telephone
[39] (06) 46741
FAX
[39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356
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; inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797
Economy - overview
Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficit has breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced low growth in 2006, and unemployment remained at a high level.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.756 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$1.785 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
1.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$30,200 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
2%
industry
29.1%
services
69% (2006 est.)
Labor force
24.63 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
5%
industry
32%
services
63% (2001)
Unemployment rate
7% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
2.1%
highest 10%
26.6% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
36 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.3% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
20.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$832.9 billion
expenditures
$925 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt
107.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products
Industries
tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate
1.5% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
277.6 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
78.6%
hydro
18.4%
nuclear
0%
other
3% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
303.8 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
800 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
46.4 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production
145,100 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
1.881 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
456,600 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports
2.158 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves
586.6 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production
12.96 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
80.61 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
396 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
67.91 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
-$23.73 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$450.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
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 13.2%, France 11.7%, US 7.6%, Spain 7.3%, UK 6.1% (2006)
Imports
$445.6 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco
Imports - partners
Germany 16.7%, France 9.2%, Netherlands 5.6%, China 5.2%, Belgium 4.2%, Spain 4.1% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$70.5 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$1.957 trillion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - donor
ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.)
Currency (code)
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Currency code
EUR
Exchange rates
euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
25.049 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
72.2 million (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services
domestic
high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international
country code - 39; 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 about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)
Radios
50.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions
30.3 million (1997)
Internet country code
.it
Internet hosts
1.731 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)
Internet users
28.87 million (2005)
Airports
133 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
98
over 3,047 m
7
2,438 to 3,047 m
30
1,524 to 2,437 m
16
914 to 1,523 m
31
under 914 m
14 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
35
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
914 to 1,523 m
14
under 914 m
19 (2006)
Heliports
5 (2006)
Pipelines
gas 17,589 km; oil 1,136 km (2006)
Railways
total
19,459 km
standard gauge
18,037 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified)
narrow gauge
123 km 1.000-m gauge (122 km electrified); 1,299 km 0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways
total
484,688 km
paved
484,688 km (includes 6,621 km of expressways) (2004)
Waterways
2,400 km
note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2006)
Merchant marine
total
591 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,737,175 GRT/12,573,225 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 52, cargo 45, chemical tanker 136, container 25, liquefied gas 37, livestock carrier 3, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 150, petroleum tanker 49, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 28
foreign-owned
36 (France 1, Greece 6, Spain 1, Taiwan 10, UK 3, US 15)
registered in other countries
152 (Bahamas 5, Belize 4, Cayman Islands 12, Cyprus 2, France 2, Germany 1, Gibraltar 6, Isle of Man 5, Jamaica 1, Liberia 16, Malta 29, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 4, Panama 15, Portugal 12, Romania 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Singapore 2, Spain 2, Sweden 7, Turkey 3, UK 4) (2006)
Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Corpo dei Carabinieri, CC) (2005)
Military service age and obligation
voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005 (2006)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
13,491,260
females age 18-49
12,886,033 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
10,963,513
females age 18-49
10,452,189 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
286,344
females age 18-49
270,099 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.8% (2005 est.)
Disputes - international
Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa
Illicit drugs
important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling
