1.
[syn: Italy, Italian Republic, Italia]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Italy
n 1: a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was
the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between
the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD [syn: Italy,
Italian Republic, Italia]
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:
Italy
Acts 18:2; 27:1, 6; Heb. 13:24), like most geographical names,
was differently used at different periods of history. As the
power of Rome advanced, nations were successively conquered and
added to it till it came to designate the whole country to the
south of the Alps. There was constant intercourse between
Palestine and Italy in the time of the Romans.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's):
Italy, abounding with calves or heifers
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Italy
Introduction Italy
------------------
Background: Italy became a nation-state in 1861
when the city-states of the
peninsula, along with Sardinia and
Sicily, were united under King
Victor EMMANUEL. 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 European
Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent
problems include illegal
immigration, the ravages of
organized crime, corruption, high
unemployment, and the low incomes
and technical standards of southern
Italy compared with the prosperous
north.
Geography Italy
---------------
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
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
water: 7,210 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km
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: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to
the 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
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: mercury, potash, marble, sulfur,
natural gas and crude oil reserves,
fish, coal, arable land
Land use: arable land: 28.07%
permanent crops: 9.25%
other: 62.68% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 26,980 sq km (1998 est.)
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 party to: Air Pollution, Air
agreements: Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-
Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-
Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-
Marine Living Resources, Antarctic
Seals, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location dominating
central Mediterranean as well as
southern sea and air approaches to
Western Europe
People Italy
------------
Population: 57,715,625 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.1% (male 4,198,569;
female 3,954,159)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 19,334,208;
female 19,492,048)
65 years and over: 18.6% (male
4,436,073; female 6,300,568) (2002
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.05% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 8.93 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 10.13 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.25 years
female: 82.63 years (2002 est.)
male: 76.08 years
Total fertility rate: 1.19 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.35% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 95,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,000 (1999 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: predominately Roman Catholic with
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% (1998)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government Italy
----------------
Country name: conventional long form: Italian
Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
former: Kingdom of Italy
local short form: Italia
Government 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; Italy was not finally
unified until 1870)
National holiday: Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
Constitution: 1 January 1948
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 Carlo
Azeglio CIAMPI (since 13 May 1999)
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 13 May 1999
(next to be held NA May 2006); prime
minister appointed by the president
and confirmed by Parliament
head of government: Prime Minister
(referred to in Italy as the
president of the Council of
Ministers) Silvio BERLUSCONI (since
10 June 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the president
election results: Carlo Azeglio
CIAMPI elected president; percent of
electoral college vote - 70%
note: a five-party government
coalition includes Forza Italia,
National Alliance, Northern League,
Democratic Christian Center, United
Christian Democrats
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento
consists of the Senate or Senato
della Repubblica (315 seats elected
by popular vote of which 232 are
directly elected and 83 are elected
by regional proportional
representation; in addition, there
are a small number of senators-for-
life including former presidents of
the republic; 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 13 May
2001 (next to be held NA 2006);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 13
May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: Senate - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - House of Liberties 177
(Forza Italia 82, National Alliance
46, CCD-CDU 29, Northern League 17,
others 3), Olive Tree 128 (Democrats
of the Left 62, Daisy Alliance 42,
Sunflower Alliance 16, Italian
Communist Party 3, independents 5),
non-affiliated with either coalition
10, senators for life 9; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - House of
Liberties 367 (Forza Italia 189,
National Alliance 96, CCD-CDU 40,
Northern League 30, others 12),
Olive Tree 248 (Democrats of the
Left 138, Daisy Alliance 76,
Sunflower Alliance 18, Italian
Communist Party 9, independents 7),
non-affiliated with either coalition
15
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 Olive Tree Coalition
[Francesco RUTELLI] - Democrats of
the Left, Daisy Alliance (including
Italian Popular Party, Italian
Renewal, Union of Democrats for
Europe, The Democrats), Sunflower
Alliance (including Green
Federation, Italian Democratic
Socialists), Italian Communist
Party; Center-Right Freedom House
Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI]
(formerly House of Liberties and
Freedom Alliance) - Forza Italia,
National Alliance, The Whiteflower
Alliance (includes Christian
Democratic Center, United Christian
Democrats), Northern League;
Christian Democratic Center or CCD
[Marco FOLLINI]; Communist Party or
PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Democrats
of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO];
Forza Italia or FI [Silvio
BERLUSCONI]; Green Federation
[Alfonso Pecoraro SCANIO]; Italian
Communist Party or PdCI [Oliviero
DILIBERTO]; Italian Popular Party or
PPI [Pierluigi CASTAGNETTI]; Italian
Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI];
Italian Social Democrats or SDI
[Enrico BOSELLI]; Socialist
Movement-Tricolor Flame or MS-Fiamma
[Pino RAUTI]; National Alliance or
AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Northern
League or NL [Umberto BOSSI];
Southern Tyrols People's Party or
SVP (German speakers) [Siegfried
BRUGGER]; Sunflower Alliance
(includes Green Federation, Italian
Social Democrats); The Daisy
Alliance (includes Italian Popular
Party, Italian Renewal, Union of
Democrats for Europe, The
Democrats); The Democrats [Arturo
PARISI]; The Radicals (formerly
Pannella Reformers and Autonomous
List) [Marco PANNELLA]; The
Whiteflower Alliance (includes
Christian Democratic Center, United
Christian Democrats); Union of
Democrats for Europe or UDEUR
[Clemente MASTELLA]; United
Christian Democrats or CDU [Rocco
BUTTIGLIONE]
Political pressure groups and Italian manufacturers and merchants
leaders: associations (Confindustria,
Confcommercio); organized farm
groups (Confcoltivatori,
Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic
Church; three major trade union
confederations (Confederazione
Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL
[Sergio COFFERATI] 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 [Pietro LARIZZA] which
is lay centrist)
International organization AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS,
participation: BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB, CE, CEI,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB,
EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),
MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU,
WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ferdinando SALLEO
consulate(s): Detroit
consulate(s) general: Boston,
Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York,
Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San
Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151
telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400
chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Melvin
US: SEMBLER
embassy: Via Vittori Veneto 119/A,
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
note: inspired by the French flag
brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797
Economy Italy
-------------
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 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. Italy's
economic performance has lagged
behind that of its EU partners, and
the current government has enacted
numerous short-term reforms aimed at
improving competitiveness and long-
term growth. Rome has moved slowly,
however, on implementing needed
structural reforms, such as
lightening the high tax burden and
overhauling Italy's rigid labor
market and expensive pension system,
because of the current economic
slowdown and opposition from labor
unions.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.402
trillion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,300
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.4%
industry: 30%
services: 67.6% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 2.1%
percentage share: highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini 27.3 (1995)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2001)
Labor force: 23.6 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 63%, industry 32%,
agriculture 5% (2001)
Unemployment rate: 10% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $504 billion
expenditures: $517 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (2001 est.)
Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel,
chemicals, food processing,
textiles, motor vehicles, clothing,
footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate: -0.4% (2001)
Electricity - production: 257.408 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 80.01%
hydro: 17.07%
other: 2.92% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 283.737 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 484 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 44.831 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables, grapes,
potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans,
grain, olives; beef, dairy products;
fish
Exports: $243 billion (f.o.b., 2001 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: EU 54.9% (Germany 15.1%, France
12.6%, UK 6.9%, Spain 6.2%), US
10.4% (2000)
Imports: $226 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: engineering products, chemicals,
transport equipment, energy
products, minerals and nonferrous
metals, textiles and clothing; food,
beverages and tobacco
Imports - partners: EU 56.3% (Germany 17.5%, France
11.4%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 5.4%),
US 5.3% (2000)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.)
Currency: euro (EUR); Italian lira (ITL)
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; ITL
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324
(January 2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999);
Italian lire per US dollar - 1,688.7
(January 1999), 1,736.2 (1998),
1,703.1 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Italy
--------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 25 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 20.5 million (1999)
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: 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 Service Providers (ISPs): 93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)
Internet users: 19.25 million (2001)
Transportation Italy
--------------------
Railways: total: 19,786 km
standard gauge: 18,761 km 1.435-
m gauge (11,251 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 113 km 1.000-m gauge
(113 km electrified); 912 km 0.950-
m gauge (192 km electrified) (2001)
Highways: total: 668,669 km
paved: 668,669 km (including 6,460
km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2001)
Waterways: 2,400 km
note: serves various types of
commercial traffic, although of
limited overall value (2002)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum
products 2,148 km; natural gas
19,400 km
Ports and harbors: Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari,
Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La Spezia,
Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto
Foxi, Porto Torres (Sardinia),
Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste,
Venice (2001)
Merchant marine: total: 467 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 8,499,248 GRT/10,383,988
DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Croatia 1, Denmark 4,
France 1, Greece 3, Man, Isle of 1,
Monaco 7, Netherlands 6, Norway 1,
Panama 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 1,
Taiwan 15, Turkey 1, United Kingdom
6, United States 12 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 45, cargo 41,
chemical tanker 91, combination ore/
oil 4, container 24, liquefied gas
37, multi-functional large-load
carrier 1, passenger 15, petroleum
tanker 80, refrigerated cargo 4,
roll on/roll off 70, short-sea
passenger 27, specialized tanker 12,
vehicle carrier 16
Airports: 135 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 97
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 12 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 18 (2001)
Heliports: 4 (2001)
Military Italy
--------------
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 14,184,307 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 12,157,753 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching military males: 304,369 (2002 est.)
age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $20.2 billion (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of 1.64% (2002)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Italy
--------------------------
Disputes - international: Croatia and Italy are still trying
to resolve bilateral property and
ethnic minority rights dating from
World War II
Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer
of Latin American cocaine and
Southwest Asian heroin entering the
European market
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):
Italy, TX -- U.S. town in Texas
Population (2000): 1993
Housing Units (2000): 731
Land area (2000): 1.793563 sq. miles (4.645306 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 1.793563 sq. miles (4.645306 sq. km)
FIPS code: 37072
Located within: Texas (TX), FIPS 48
Location: 32.182705 N, 96.884967 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 76651
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Italy, TX
Italy