World Facts Index > Italy > Aosta, Bari, Bologna, Bolzano, Cagliari, Como, Florence, Genoa, Lecce, Milan, Naples, Padua, Palermo, Rimini, Rome, Trieste, Turin, Venice, Verona, Vicenza
 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 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.
Geography of Italy
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Location:
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Southern Europe, a
peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of
Tunisia |
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Coordinates:
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42 50 N, 12 50 E |
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Area:
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total: 301,230 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
water: 7,210 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km |
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Area comparative:
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slightly larger than
Arizona |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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7,600 km |
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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predominantly
Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south |
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged and
mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a
secondary peak of Mont Blanc) |
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Natural resources:
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mercury, potash, marble,
sulfur, natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land |
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Natural hazards:
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regional risks include
landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
flooding; land subsidence in Venice |
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Environment current issues:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location
dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air
approaches to Western Europe
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Population of Italy
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Population:
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58,145,320 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,147,149/female 3,899,980)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 19,530,512/female 19,105,841)
65 years and over: 19.7% (male 4,771,858/female 6,678,169) |
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Median age:
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42.2 years |
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Growth rate:
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0.04% |
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Infant mortality:
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6.07 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 79.54 years
male: 76.61 years
female: 82.66 years (2004 est.) |
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Fertility rate:
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5.83 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Nationality:
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noun: Italian(s)
adjective: Italian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Italian (includes small clusters of
German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and
Greek-Italians in the south) |
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Religions:
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approximately 90% Roman Catholic (about one-third
regularly attend services); mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim
immigrant community |
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Languages:
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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) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99%
female: 98.3%
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Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Italian
Republic
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
former: Kingdom of Italy
local short form: Italia |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Rome |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed;
Italy was not finally unified until 1870) |
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National holiday:
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Republic Day, 2 June (1946) |
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Constitution:
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1 January 1948 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system; appeals treated
as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal (except in
senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25) |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO
(since 15 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (referred to in Italy as
the president of the Council of Ministers) (since 8 May 2008) note - in Italy
the prime minister is referred to as the president of the Council of Ministers
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. |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate
or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; elected by proportional vote with the winning
coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; members serve five-year
terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; elected by popular
vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members serve
five-year terms); note - electoral vote reform passed in December 2005. |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
Economy
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: Italy's official debt
remains above 100% of GDP, and the government has found it difficult to bring
the budget deficit down to a level that would allow a rapid decrease in that
debt. The economy continues to grow by less than the euro-zone average and
growth is expected to decelerate from 1.9% in 2006 and 2007 to under 1.5% in
2008 as the euro-zone and world economies slow.
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GDP:
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$1.8 trillion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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0.1% |
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GDP per capita:
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$29,200 |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 2.1%
industry: 29.1%
services: 68.8% |
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Inflation rate:
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2% |
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Labor force:
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24.49 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 63%, industry 32%, agriculture 5% |
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Unemployment:
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7.7% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $785.7 billion
expenditures: $861.5 billion |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 78.6%
hydro: 18.4%
other: 3%
nuclear: 0% |
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Industries:
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tourism, machinery, iron and steel,
chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics |
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Agriculture:
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fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar
beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish |
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Exports:
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engineering products, textiles and
clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food,
beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals |
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Export partners:
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Germany 13.2%, France 12.1%, US 8%, Spain 7.3%, UK 6.5%,
Switzerland 4% |
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Imports:
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engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment,
energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages,
and tobacco |
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Import partners:
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Germany 17.1%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 5.7%, China 4.6%,
Belgium 4.5%, Spain 4.2%, UK 4% |
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Currency:
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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 |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |