Select a Country Italy Click to enlarge IntroductionGeographyPeopleGovernmentEconomyCommunicationsTransportationMilitaryTransnational Issues Home Reference Maps Appendixes Print-Friendly PageIn general, information available as of 1 January 2003was used in the preparation of The World Factbook 2003.This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003Definition Field Listing Rank OrderLegend: Introduction ItalyTop of Page6/13/04 4:57 PMCIA - The World Factbook -- ItalyPage 1 of 12http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/it.htmlBackground: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, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north. Geography ItalyTop of PageLocation:Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia Geographic coordinates:42 50 N, 12 50 E Map references:EuropeArea: 301,230 sq km includes Sardinia and Sicily 7,210 sq km 294,020 sq km total:note:water:land:Area - comparative:slightly larger than Arizona Land boundaries: 1,932.2 km Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km total:border countries:Coastline:7,600 km Maritime claims:200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation 12 NM continental shelf:territorial sea:Climate:predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south Terrain:mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands Elevation extremes:Mediterranean Sea 0 m Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc) lowest point:highest point:Natural 6/13/04 4:57 PMCIA - The World Factbook -- ItalyPage 2 of 12http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/it.htmlresources:mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land Land use: 28.07% 9.25% 62.68% (1998 est.) arable land:permanent crops:other: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 agreements: Air Pollution, Air 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 Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol party to:signed, but not ratified:Geography - note:strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe People ItalyTop of PagePopulation:57,998,353 (July 2003 est.) Age structure:14% (male 4,193,412; female 3,947,679) 67.2% (male 19,625,428; female 19,337,861) 18.8% (male 4,516,995; female 6,376,978) (2003 est.) 0-14 years:15-64 years:65 years and over:Median age: 41 years 39.4 years 42.6 years (2002) total:male:female:Population growth rate:0.11% (2003 est.) Birth rate:9.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) Death rate:10.12 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 6/13/04 4:57 PMCIA - The World Factbook -- ItalyPage 3 of 12http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/it.htmlNet migration rate:2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) Sex ratio: 1.07 male(s)/female 1.06 male(s)/female 1.02 male(s)/female 0.71 male(s)/female 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.) at birth:under 15 years:15-64 years:65 years and over:total population:Infant mortality rate: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) 6.82 deaths/1,000 live births total:female:male:Life expectancy at birth:79.4 years 76.47 years 82.52 years (2003 est.) total population:male:female:Total fertility rate:1.26 children born/woman (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:0.4% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:100,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths:1,100 (2001 est.) Nationality: Italian(s) Italian noun:adjective: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: age 15 and over can read and write 98.6% 99% 98.3% (2003 est.) definition:total population:male:female: Government ItalyTop of PageCountry name:6/13/04 4:57 PMCIA - The World Factbook -- ItalyPage 4 of 12http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/it.htmlItalian Republic Italy Repubblica Italiana Kingdom of Italy Italia conventional long form:conventional short form:local long form:former:local short form: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