Map of Italy | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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 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 is 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 sluggish economic growth high youth and female unemployment organized crime corruption and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.


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

Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N 12 50 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 72
Land: 294,140 km²
Water: 7,200 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries
Border countries: (5) Austria 430 km; France 488 km; Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km; San Marino 39 km; Slovenia 199 km; Switzerland 740 km

Coastline: 7,600 km

Maritime claims
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 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
Permanent crops: 8.37%
Other: 69.07% (2011)

Irrigated land: 39,510 km² (2007)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 191.3 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides mudflows avalanches earthquakes volcanic eruptions flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Etna (elev. 3,330 m) which is in eruption as of 2010 is Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to nearby Sicilian villages; Etna along with the famous Vesuvius which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the Bay of Naples area have both been deemed 'Decade Volcanoes' by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Stromboli on its namesake island has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei Ischia Larderello Pantelleria Vulcano and Vulsini

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


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Population: 61,482,297 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 24
Growth rate: 0.34% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 163
Below poverty line: 19.6% (2011)

Nationality
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)

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)

Religions: Christian 80% (overwhelming Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehova Witnesses and Protestants) Muslims NEGL (about 700,000 but growing) Atheists and Agnostics 20%

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 9.9% (male 3,059,140/female 3,035,991)
25-54 years: 43.2% (male 13,133,733/female 13,416,626)
55-64 years: 12.3% (male 3,675,324/female 3,913,918)
65 years and over: 20.8% (male 5,454,283/female 7,309,287) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 21.7 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 32.6 %
Potential support ratio: 3.1 (2013)

Median age
Male: 43 years
Female: 45.3 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.34% (2013 est.)
Rank: 163

Birth rate: 8.94 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 210

Death rate: 10.01 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 52

Net migration rate: 4.47 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 24

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: ROME (capital) 3.357 million; Milan 2.962 million; Naples 2.27 million; Turin 1.662 million; Palermo 872,000 (2009)

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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 27.7 (2010 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 216
Male: 3.54 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.12 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 11
Male: 79.32 years
Female: 84.73 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.41 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 203

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 62.7%

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.8 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 3.5 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 83
People living with hivaids: 140,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 34
Deaths: fewer than 1000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 75

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 19.8% (2008)
Rank: 97

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.7% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 87

Literacy
Total population: 99%
Male: 99.2%
Female: 98.7% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 16 years
Female: 17 years (2010)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Italy
Local long form: Repubblica Italiana
Local short form: Italia
Former: Kingdom of Italy

Government type: republic

Capital
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

Administrative divisions: 15 regions (regioni singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome singular - regione autonoma)
Regions: Abruzzo Basilicata Calabria Campania Emilia-Romagna Lazio (Latium) Liguria Lombardia Marche Molise Piemonte (Piedmont) Puglia (Apulia) Toscana (Tuscany) Umbria Veneto (Venetia)
Autonomous regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee d'Aoste (French)

Dependent areas

Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)

National holiday: Republic Day 2 June (1946)

Constitution: previous 1848 (originally for Kingdom of Sardinia and adopted by Kingdom of Italy in 1861); latest enacted 22 December 1947 adopted 27 December 1947 entered into force 1 January 1948; amended many times last in 2012 (2013)

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections where minimum age is 25)

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Enrico LETTA (since 17 April 2013); note - the prime minister is referred to as the President of the Council of Ministers
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and nominated by the President of the Republic
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 on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2020); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament; note - elections were held in February but resulted in a political stalemate to be determined by formal talks beginning in March; by mid-April 2013 no governing coaliton has been formed; on 18 April 2013 indirect elections for president were begun; on the sixth round Giorgio NAPOLITANO was elected president with 739 votes
Election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the sixth round of voting; electoral college vote - 739

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; members to serve five-year terms; and up to 5 senators for life appointed by the president of the Republic) 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; members to serve five-year terms); note - it has not been clarified if each president has the power to designate up to five senators or if five is the number of senators for life who might sit in the Senate
Elections: Senate - last held on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Pier Luigi BERSANI coalition 123 (PD 111 SEL 7 SVP 2 other 3) Silvio BERLUSCONI coalition 117 (PdL 98 LN 18 other 1) M5S 54 Mario MONTI coalition 19 other 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Pier Luigi BERSANI coalition 345 (PD 297 SEL 37 CD 6 SVP 5) Silvio BERLUSCONI coalition 125 (PdL 98 LN 18 FdI 9) M5S 109 Mario MONTI coalition 47 other 4; note - President NAPOLITANO dissolved Parliament on 22 December 2012

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the Superior Council of the Judiciary headed by the president to serve NA terms; Constitutional Court judges - 5 appointed by the president 5 elected by parliament 5 elected by select higher courts; judges serve up to 9 years)
Subordinate courts: various lower civil and criminal courts (primary and secondary tribunals courts and courts of appeal)

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CBSS (observer) CD CDB CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EITI (implementing country) EMU ESA EU FAO FATF G-20 G-7 G-8 G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD (partners) IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAIA (observer) MIGA MINURSO NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA PIF (partner) Schengen Convention SELEC (observer) SICA (observer) UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL Union Latina UNMISS UNMOGIP UNRWA UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 3,000 Whitehaven Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 612-4,400
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 518-2,154
In the us consulate general: Boston Chicago Houston Miami New York Los Angeles Philadelphia San Francisco
In the us consulate: Detroit Newark (NJ) San Francisco
From the us embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121 00187-Rome
From the us mailing address: PSC 59 Box 100 APO AE 9,624
From the us telephone: [39] (06) 46,741
From the us FAX: [39] (06) 4,674-2,244
From the us consulate general: Florence Milan Naples

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) white and red; design inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797; colors are those of Milan (red and white) combined with the green uniform color of the Milanese civic guard

National symbols: white five-pointed star (Stella d'Italia)

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO

National heritage


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Economy overview: Italy has a diversified industrial economy which is divided into a developed industrial north dominated by private companies and a less-developed highly subsidized agricultural south where unemployment is high. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises many of them family-owned. Italy also has a sizable underground economy which by some estimates accounts for as much as 17% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture construction and service sectors. Italy is the third-largest economy in the euro-zone but its exceptionally high public debt and structural impediments to growth have rendered it vulnerable to scrutiny by financial markets. Public debt has increased steadily since 2007 topping 126% of GDP in 2012 and investor concerns about the broader euro-zone crisis at times have caused borrowing costs on sovereign government debt to rise to euro-era records. During the second half of 2011 the government passed three austerity packages to reduce its budget deficit and help bring down borrowing costs. These measures included a hike in the value-added tax pension reforms and cuts to public administration. The government also faces pressure from investors and European partners to sustain its recent efforts to address Italy's long-standing structural impediments to growth such as labor market inefficiencies and widespread tax evasion. In 2012 economic growth and labor market conditions deteriorated with growth at -2.3% and unemployment rising to nearly 11% with youth unemployment around 35%. The government has undertaken several reform initiatives designed to increase long-term economic growth. Italy's GDP is now 7% below its 2007 pre-crisis level.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 11

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 211

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 47

Gross national saving:
Rank: 93

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 20.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 17.9%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 30.2%
Imports of goods and services: -29.1%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 24.2%
Services: 73.8% (2012 est.)

Agriculture products: fruits vegetables grapes potatoes sugar beets soybeans grain olives; beef dairy products; fish

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

Industrial production growth rate: -4.1% (2012 est.)
Rank: 170

Labor force: 25.62 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 25
By occupation industry: 28.3%
By occupation services: 67.8% (2011)

Unemployment rate: 8.4% (2011 est.)
Rank: 112

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 19.6% (2011)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 26.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index: 27.3 (1995)
Rank: 107

Budget
Expenditures: $1.023 trillion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 118

Taxes and other revenues: 48.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 15

Public debt: 120.7% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 7

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.9% (2011 est.)
Rank: 104

Central bank discount rate: 1.75% (31 December 2010)
Rank: 130

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 4.6% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 162

Stock of narrow money: $1.147 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 6

Stock of broad money: $1.957 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 9

Stock of domestic credit: $3.209 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 8

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 27

Current account balance: $-67.14 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 181

Exports: $503.1 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 10
Commodities: engineering products textiles and clothing production machinery motor vehicles transport equipment chemicals; food beverages and tobacco; minerals nonferrous metals
Partners: Germany 12.8% France 11.3% US 6.6% Switzerland 5.8% UK 5% Spain 4.8% (2012)

Imports: $524 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 13
Commodities: engineering products chemicals transport equipment energy products minerals and nonferrous metals textiles and clothing; food beverages and tobacco
Partners: Germany 15.7% France 8.9% China 7% Netherlands 5.8% Spain 4.8% Belgium 4.1% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $173.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 16

Debt external: $2.35 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 8

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $436.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 18

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $617 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 13

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 283.5 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 13
Consumption: 313.8 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 13
Exports: 2.267 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 40
Imports: 46.04 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 3
Installed generating capacity: 122.3 million kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 10
Generation sources fossil fuels: 65% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 121
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 110
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 18% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 95
Generation sources other renewable sources: 15.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 12

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 154,500 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 44
Crude oil exports: 6,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 63
Crude oil imports: 1.591 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 7
Crude oil proven reserves: 521.3 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 50

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.887 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 12
Products consumption: 1.454 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 16
Products exports: 628,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 13
Products imports: 393,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 15

Natural gas
Production: 8.605 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 45
Consumption: 83.09 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 9
Exports: 324 million m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 48
Imports: 67.8 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 5
Proven reserves: 62.35 billion m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 62

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 400.9 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 17

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 21.656 million (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 13
Mobile cellular: 97.225 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 14

Telephone system
Domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
International: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables provide links to Asia Middle East Europe North Africa and US; 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 (2011)

Broadcast media: two Italian media giants dominate - the publicly owned Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) with 3 national terrestrial stations and privately owned Mediaset with 3 national terrestrial stations; a large number of private stations and Sky Italia - a satellite TV network; RAI operates 3 AM/FM nationwide radio stations; some 1300 commercial radio stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .it
Hosts: 25.662 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 4
Users: 29.235 million (2009)
Users rank: 13

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 76

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in any military branch; Italian citizenship required; 12-month service obligation (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 129 (2013)
Rank: 45
With paved runways over 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 31
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 18
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 29
With paved runways under 914 m: 11 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 10
With unpaved runways: 20 (2013)

Heliports: 5 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 20,223 km; oil 1393 km; refined products 1574 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 13
Standard gauge: 18,611 km 1.435-m gauge (12,662 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1290 km 0.950-m gauge (151 km electrified); 231 km 0.850-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Rank: 14
Paved: 487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2007)

Waterways: 2,400 km (used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail) (2012)
Rank: 37

Merchant marine
Rank: 17
By type: bulk carrier 105 cargo 42 carrier 1 chemical tanker 164 container 21 liquefied gas 28 passenger 25 passenger/cargo 154 petroleum tanker 59 refrigerated cargo 4 roll on/roll off 39 specialized tanker 9 vehicle carrier 30
Foreign owned: 90 (Denmark 4 France 2 Greece 7 Luxembourg 14 Netherlands 2 Nigeria 1 Norway 6 Singapore 1 Sweden 1 Switzerland 13 Taiwan 10 Turkey 4 UK 2 US 23)
Registered in other countries: 201 (Bahamas 1 Belize 3 Cayman Islands 7 Cyprus 6 Georgia 2 Gibraltar 4 Greece 5 Liberia 47 Malta 45 Marshall Islands 1 Morocco 1 Netherlands 6 Panama 25 Portugal 12 Russia 14 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4 Singapore 5 Slovakia 2 Spain 1 Sweden 5 Turkey 1 UK 3 unknown 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Augusta Cagliari Genoa Livorno Taranto Trieste Venice
Oil terminals: Melilli (Santa Panagia) oil terminal Sarroch oil terminal


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Disputes international: Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 470 (2012)

Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by