| Country Profile 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. Disputes
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Population and Demographics
Italy has a population of 58,145,321 (July 2008 est.) .
| Capital | Rome |
| Main urban areas | Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Turin, Venice |
| 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 spoken | 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) |
| Population age 0-14: 13.6% (m 4,086,951/f 3,842,765) |  | | |
| 0-14 | 15-64 | 65+ | |
| Gender ratios At birth: 1.07 m/f , 0-14: 1.06 m/f , 15-64: 1.03 m/f , 65+: 0.72 m/f | |||
Changing Population (Life expectancy, births, deaths and fertility)
The population growth rate for Italy is -0.019% (2008 est.) (world growth rate at 2006 is 1.14%). The country also saw migration of 2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.). The median age of the country is total: 42.9 years male: 41.4 years female: 44.4 years (2008 est.).
Note: on the graphs, world figures are represented by a red bar, figures for Italy are illustrated with a green bar.
| Life Expectancy: | Total population: 80.07 years Male: 77.13 years Female: 83.2 years (2008 est.) |  [80.07] [64.77][Male:, m] [63.16, m][, f][66.47, f] |
| Fertility: | 1.3 children born/woman (2008 est.) | [1.3][2.59] |
| Births: | 8.36 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) | [8.36][20.05] |
| Deaths: | 10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) | [10.61][8.67] |
| Infants: | Total: 5.61 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) | [5.61][48.87][6.19, m][50.98, m][5, f][46.65, f] |
Country Outline Map
Geographic Data Italy is located in Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia, in the timezone GMT 1. The country has boundaries of 1,932.2 - Austria 430, France 488, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2, San Marino 39, Slovenia 232, Switzerland 740 (km), and a coastline of 7,600 (km). Major urban areas: Rome, Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Turin, Venice.
Elevations
Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)
Physical Features
Mt Etna volcano, Stromboli volcano, Mt Vesuvius volcano, Mt Vulcano, Alps, Apennines, River Po, River Tiber, River Arno, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Mont Blanc
Hazards
Regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Climate
Predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Natural Resources
Coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorospar, 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)
Renewable Water Resources
175 cu km (2005)
Fresh Water Withdrawal
total: 41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%) per capita: 723 cu m/yr (1998)
Environmental 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
Economic Data
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: 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.
Debt and Aid
Debt: $2.345 trillion (30 June 2007)
Aid Given: ODA, $3.641 billion (2006)
Aid Received: $NA
Labour Force
Number in labour force: 24.71 million (2007 est.)
Sectors: agriculture: 5% industry: 32% services: 63% (2001)
Unemployment: 6% (2007 est.)
GDP Facts and Figures
Currency: euro (EUR)
GDP: $1.786 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $30,400 (2007 est.)
GDP Real Growth: 1.5% (2007 est.)
GDP Composition: agriculture: 1.9% industry: 28.9% services: 69.2% (2007 est.)
Production Growth Rate: 1.5% (2007 est.)
Industries, Land Use and Resource Consumption
Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Land use: arable land: 26.41% permanent crops: 9.09% other: 64.5% (2005)
Exports: engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals
Electricity Consumption: 307.1 billion kWh (2005)
Natural Gas Consumption: 82.64 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Oil Consumption: 1.732 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
A selection of key transport and communications information for Italy
Number of main telephone lines
25.049 million (2005)
Mobile (cellular) phones
71.5 million (2005)
Radio stations
AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)
Television stations
358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)
Internet users
28.855 million (2006)
Country internet code
.it
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)
Highways
total: 479,688 km paved: 479,688 km (including 6,478 km of expressways) (2004)
Waterways
2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2004)
Pipelines
gas 17,335 km; oil 1,136 km (2004)
Ports and harbours
Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Melilli Oil Terminal, Ravenna, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
Airports
132 (2007)
Heliports
5 (2007)
