ITALY                                                                           
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 301,230 km2; land area: 294,020 km2; includes Sardinia              
and Sicily                                                                      
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than Arizona                                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 1,902.2 km total; Austria 430 km, France 488 km,               
San Marino 39 km, Switzerland 740 km, Vatican City 3.2 km, Yugoslavia           
202 km                                                                          
                                                                                
Coastline: 4,996 km                                                             
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;                   
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
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                                  
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 32%; permanent crops 10%; meadows and                     
pastures 17%; forest and woodland 22%; other 19%; includes irrigated 10%        
                                                                                
Environment: regional risks include landslides, mudflows,                       
snowslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding, pollution; land          
sinkage in Venice                                                               
                                                                                
Note: strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as                    
well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe                       
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 57,772,375 (July 1991), growth rate 0.2% (1991)                     
                                                                                
Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)                           
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                        
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 82 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Italian(s); adjective--Italian                               
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: primarily Italian but population includes small               
clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and             
Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south; Sicilians; Sardinians        
                                                                                
Religion: nominally Roman Catholic almost 100%                                  
                                                                                
Language: Italian; parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are                      
predominantly German speaking; significant French-speaking minority in          
Valle d'Aosta region; Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia          
area                                                                            
                                                                                
Literacy: 97% (male 98%, female 96%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1990 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 23,988,000; services 58%, industry 32.2%,                          
agriculture 9.8% (1988)                                                         
                                                                                
Organized labor: 40-45% of labor force (est.)                                   
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Italian Republic                                                
                                                                                
Type: 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                        
                                                                                
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                                                                
                                                                                
National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)                    
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, prime minister (president of the                   
Council of Ministers)                                                           
                                                                                
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) consists of               
an upper chamber or Senate of the Republic (Senato della Repubblica)            
and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati)                
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)                    
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--President Francesco COSSIGA (since 3 July 1985);                
                                                                                
Head of Government--Prime Minister Giulio ANDREOTTI (since 22 July              
1989, heads the government for the seventh time); Deputy Prime Minister         
Claudio MARTELLI (since 23 July 1989)                                           
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Christian Democratic Party (DC), Arnaldo FORLANI (general secretary),           
Ciriaco De MITA (president);                                                    
Socialist Party (PSI), Bettino CRAXI (party secretary);                         
Social Democratic Party (PSDI), Antonio CARIGLIA (party secretary);             
Liberal Party (PLI), Renato ALTISSIMO (secretary general);                      
Democratic Party of the Left (PDS--was Communist Party, or PCI, until           
January 1991), Achille OCCHETTO (secretary general);                            
Italian Social Movement (MSI), Giuseppe (Pino) RAUTI (national                  
secretary);                                                                     
Republican Party (PRI), Giorgio La MALFA (political secretary);                 
Lega Nord, Umberto BOSSI, president;                                            
Italy's 50th postwar government was formed on 13 April 1991,                    
with Prime Minister ANDREOTTI, a Christian Democrat, presiding over a           
four-party coalition consisting of the Christian Democrats, Socialists,         
Social Democrats, and Liberals                                                  
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18 (except in senatorial elections,                  
where minimum age is 25)                                                        
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
Senate--last held 14-15 June 1987 (next to be held by June 1992);               
results--DC 33.9%, PCI 28.3%, PSI 10.7%, other 27.1%;                           
seats--(320 total, 315 elected) DC 125, PCI 100, PSI 36, other 54;              
                                                                                
Chamber of Deputies--last held 14-15 June 1987 (next to be held by              
June 1992);                                                                     
results--DC 34.3%, PCI 26.6%, PSI 14.3%, MSI 5.9%, PRI 3.7%, PSDI 3.0%,         
Radicals 2.6%, Greens 2.5%, PLI 2.1%, Proletarian Democrats 1.7%,               
other 3.3%;                                                                     
seats--(630 total) DC 234, PCI 177, PSI 94, MSI 35, PRI 21, PSDI 17,            
Radicals 13, Greens 13, PLI 11, Proletarian Democrats 8, other 7                
                                                                                
Communists: 1.3 million (1990)                                                  
                                                                                
Other political or pressure groups: the Roman Catholic Church;                  
three major trade union confederations (CGIL--Communist dominated,              
CISL--Christian Democratic, and UIL--Social Democratic, Socialist, and          
Republican); Italian manufacturers association (Confindustria);                 
organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)                        
                                                                                
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM,                
CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,          
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IEA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,       
INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS (observer),                 
OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP,          
UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO                                       
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Rinaldo PETRIGNANI; Chancery              
at 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 328-5500;        
there are Italian Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, New           
Orleans, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Consulates in            
Detroit and Newark (New Jersey);                                                
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Peter F. SECCHIA; Embassy at Via Veneto 119/A,                   
00187-Rome (mailing address is APO New York 09794); telephone  39  (6)          
46741; there are US Consulates General in Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples,       
and Palermo (Sicily)                                                            
                                                                                
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 Ivory Coast           
which has the colors reversed--orange (hoist side), white, and green            
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: Since World War II the 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 small             
private companies, and an undeveloped agricultural south, dominated by          
large public enterprises. Services account for 48% of GDP, industry 34%,        
agriculture 4%, and public administration 13%. Most raw materials needed        
by industry and over 75% of energy requirements must be imported. The           
economic recovery that began in mid-1983 has continued through 1990, with       
the economy growing at an annual average rate of 3%. For the 1990s, Italy       
faces the problems of refurbishing a tottering communications system,           
curbing pollution in major industrial centers, and adjusting to the new         
competitive forces accompanying the ongoing economic integration of the         
European Community.                                                             
                                                                                
GDP: $844.7 billion, per capita $14,600; real growth rate 2.0%                  
(1990)                                                                          
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (1990)                                     
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 11.0% (1990 est.)                                            
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $355 billion; expenditures $448 billion,                       
including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)                                    
                                                                                
Exports: $170.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);                                         
                                                                                
commodities--textiles, wearing apparel, metals, transportation                  
equipment, chemicals;                                                           
                                                                                
partners--EC 57%, US 8%, OPEC 4%                                                
                                                                                
Imports: $182.0 billion (c.i.f., 1990);                                         
                                                                                
commodities--petroleum, industrial machinery, chemicals, metals,                
food, agricultural products;                                                    
                                                                                
partners--EC 58%, OPEC 6%, US 5%                                                
                                                                                
External debt: NA                                                               
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate - 0.1% (1990); accounts for                  
almost 35% of GDP                                                               
                                                                                
Electricity: 56,800,000 kW capacity; 225,000 million kWh produced,              
3,900 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing,              
textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics                          
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for about 4% of GDP and 10% of the                        
work force; self-sufficient in foods other than meat and dairy products;        
principal crops--fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets,             
soybeans, grain, olives; fish catch of 388,200 metric tons in 1988              
                                                                                
Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $25.9                   
billion                                                                         
                                                                                
Currency: Italian lira (plural--lire); 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100               
centesimi                                                                       
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1--1,134.4 (January                   
1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987),          
1,490.8 (1986), 1,909.4 (1985)                                                  
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 20,011 km total; 16,066 km 1.435-meter government-owned              
standard gauge (8,999 km electrified); 3,945 km privately owned--2,100 km       
1.435-meter standard gauge (1,155 km electrified) and 1,845 km                  
0.950-meter narrow gauge (380 km electrified)                                   
                                                                                
Highways: 294,410 km total; autostrada 5,900 km, state highways                 
45,170 km, provincial highways 101,680 km, communal highways 141,660 km;        
260,500 km concrete, bituminous, or stone block, 26,900 km gravel and           
crushed stone,7,010 km earth                                                    
                                                                                
Inland waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial                      
traffic, although of limited overall value                                      
                                                                                
Pipelines: crude oil, 1,703 km; refined products, 2,148 km; natural             
gas, 19,400 km                                                                  
                                                                                
Ports: Cagliari (Sardinia), Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples,                  
Palermo (Sicily), Taranto, Trieste, Venice                                      
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 575 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,462,744               
GRT/11,593,730 DWT; includes 11 passenger, 44 short-sea passenger,              
103 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 23 container, 67 roll-on/roll-off cargo,       
7 vehicle carrier, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 2 livestock              
carrier, 151 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 37 chemical          
tanker, 38 liquefied gas, 10 specialized tanker, 14 combination ore/oil,        
60 bulk, 2 combination bulk                                                     
                                                                                
Civil air: 125 major transport aircraft                                         
                                                                                
Airports: 138 total, 135 usable; 90 with permanent-surface runways;             
2 with runways over 3,659 m; 36 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 38 with             
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: well engineered, constructed, and operated;                 
28,000,000 telephones; stations--144 AM, 54 (over 1,800 repeaters) FM,          
450 (over 1,300 repeaters) TV; 22 submarine cables; communication               
satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT 3 Atlantic Ocean and 2           
Indian Ocean, INMARSAT, and EUTELSAT systems                                    
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri                                    
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 14,747,224; 12,877,803 fit for              
military service; 418,043 reach military age (18) annually                      
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $19.2 billion, 2.2% of GDP (1990)                         
                                                                                
