conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Ireland
Digraph:
EI
Type:
republic
Capital:
Dublin
Administrative divisions:
26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway,
Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth,
Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford,
Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
Independence:
6 December 1921 (from UK)
National holiday:
Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Constitution:
29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebecite
Legal system:
based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous
concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990); election last
held 9 November 1990 (next to be held November 1997); results - Mary
Bourke ROBINSON 52.8%, Brian LENIHAN 47.2%
head of government:
Prime Minister Albert REYNOLDS (since 11 February 1992)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by president with previous nomination of the prime
minister and approval of the House of Representatives
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas)
Senate (Seanad Eireann):
elections last held on NA February 1992 (next to be held February
1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total, 49
elected) Fianna Fail 26, Fine Gael 16, Labor 9, Progressive Democrats
2, Democratic Left 1, independents 6
House of Representatives (Dail Eireann):
elections last held on 25 November 1992 (next to be held by June
1995); results - Fianna Fail 39.1%, Fine Gael 24.5%, Labor Party
19.3%, Progressive Democrats 4.7%, Democratic Left 2.8%, Sinn Fein
1.6%, Workers' Party 0.7%, independents 5.9%; seats - (166 total)
Fianna Fail 68, Fine Gael 45, Labor Party 33, Progressive Democrats
10, Democratic Left 4, Greens 1, independents 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Left, Proinsias DE ROSSA; Fianna Fail, Albert REYNOLDS;
Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John BRUTON; Communist Party
of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive
Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY
note:
Prime Minister REYNOLDS heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna
Fail and the Labor Party
Member of:
Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, COCOM (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, EC,
ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO,
MTCR, NEA, NSG, OECD, ONUSAL, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UNPROFRO, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WEU
(observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Dermot A. GALLAGHER
chancery:
2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 462-3939
consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jean Kennedy SMITH
embassy:
42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[353] (1) 6687122
FAX:
[353] (1) 6689946
Flag:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange;
similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the
colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar
to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist
side), white, and red
@Ireland, Economy
Overview:
The economy is small and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most
important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37%
of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor force.
Since 1987, real GDP growth, led by exports, has averaged 4% annually.
Over the same period, inflation has fallen sharply and chronic trade
deficits have been transformed into annual surpluses. Unemployment
remains a serious problem, however, and job creation is the main focus
of government policy. To ease unemployment, Dublin aggressively courts
foreign investors and recently created a new industrial development
agency to aid small indigenous firms. Government assistance is
constrained by Dublin's continuing deficit reduction measures.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $46.3 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
2.7% (1993)
National product per capita:
$13,100 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate:
16% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$16 billion
expenditures:
$16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (1992
est.)
Exports:
$28.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live
animals, animal products
partners:
EC 75% (UK 32%, Germany 13%, France 10%), US 9%
Imports:
$23.3 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
food, animal feed, data processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum
products, machinery, textiles, clothing
partners:
EC 66% (UK 41%, Germany 8%, Netherlands 4%), US 15%
External debt:
$17.6 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
growth rate 11.5% (1992); accounts for 37% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
5,000,000 kW
production:
14.5 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
4,120 kWh (1992)
Industries:
food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and
crystal
Agriculture:
accounts for 8% of GDP and 13% of the labor force; principal crops -
turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; livestock - meat and
dairy products; 85% self-sufficient in food; food shortages include
bread grain, fruits, vegetables
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to the UK and
Netherlands
Economic aid:
donor:
ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million
Currency:
1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence
Exchange rates:
Irish pounds (#Ir) per US$1 - 0.6978 (January 1994), 0.6816 (1993),
0.5864 (1992), 0.6190 (1991), 0.6030 (1990), 0.7472 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Ireland, Communications
Railroads:
Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge,
government owned; 485 km double track; 37 km electrified
Highways:
total:
92,294 km
paved:
87,422 km
unpaved:
gravel, crushed stone 4,872 km
Inland waterways:
limited for commercial traffic
Pipelines:
natural gas 225 km
Ports:
Cork, Dublin, Waterford
Merchant marine:
53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 139,278 GRT/173,325 DWT, bulk 4,
cargo 32, chemical tanker 2, container 4, oil tanker 3, refrigerated
cargo 2, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 3
Airports:
total:
44
usable:
42
with permanent-surface runways:
14
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
7
Telecommunications:
modern system using cable and digital microwave circuits; 900,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 45 FM, 86 TV; 2 coaxial
submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
@Ireland, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda
Siochana)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 914,052; fit for military service 739,288; reach
military age (17) annually 33,809 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $500 million, 1.3% of GDP (1993)
@Israel
Header
Affiliation:
(also see separate Gaza Strip and West Bank entries)
Note:
The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included
in the data below. In keeping with the framework established at the
Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations are being
conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives, Syria, and
Jordan to determine the final status of the occupied territories. On
25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979
Israel-Egypt Peace treaty.
@Israel, Geography
Location:
Middle East, bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt
and Lebanon
Map references:
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
20,770 sq km
land area:
20,330 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total 1,006 km, Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon
79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
separated from Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the 1949 Armistice
Line; differences with Jordan over the location of the 1949 Armistice
Line that separates the two countries; the Gaza Strip and Jericho,
formerly occupied by Israel, are now administered by the Palestinian
Authority; other areas of the West Bank outside Jericho are Israeli
occupied; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli troops in
southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan
Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain:
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains;
Jordan Rift Valley
Natural resources:
copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt,
manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil
Land use:
arable land:
17%
permanent crops:
5%
meadows and pastures:
40%
forest and woodland:
6%
other:
32%
Irrigated land:
2,140 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
limited arable land and freshwater resources pose serious constraints;
deforestation; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions;
groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical
fertilizers, and pesticides
natural hazards:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Climate
Change, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation
Note:
there are 200 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the
West Bank, 40 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza
Strip, and 25 in East Jerusalem (April 1994)
@Israel, People
Population:
5,050,850 (July 1994 est.)
note:
includes 110,500 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 14,000 in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 4,500 in the Gaza Strip, and 144,100
in East Jerusalem (1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.22% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
20.55 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
6.43 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
8.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
8.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
77.96 years
male:
75.86 years
female:
80.16 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Israeli(s)
adjective:
Israeli
Ethnic divisions:
Jewish 83%, non-Jewish 17% (mostly Arab)
Religions:
Judaism 82%, Islam 14% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2%, Druze and
other 2%
Languages:
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English
most commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1983)
total population:
92%
male:
95%
female:
89%
Labor force:
1.9 million (1992)
by occupation:
public services 29.3%, industry 22.1%, commerce 13.9%, finance and
business 10.4%, personal and other services 7.4%, construction 6.5%,
transport, storage, and communications 6.3%, agriculture, forestry,
and fishing 3.5%, other 0.6% (1992)
@Israel, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
State of Israel
conventional short form:
Israel
local long form:
Medinat Yisra'el
local short form:
Yisra'el
Digraph:
IS
Type:
republic
Capital:
Jerusalem
note:
Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital in 1950, but the US, like
nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions:
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem,
Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence:
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 14 May 1948 (Israel declared independence on 14 May
1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in
April or May)
Constitution:
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are
filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of
the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law
Legal system:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in
personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in
December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no
longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993) election last held 24 March
1993 (next to be held NA March 1999); results - Ezer WEIZMAN elected
by Knesset
head of government:
Prime Minister Yitzhak RABIN (since NA July 1992)
cabinet:
Cabinet; selected from and approved by the Knesset
Legislative branch:
unicameral
parliament (Knesset):
elections last held NA June 1992 (next to be held by NA 1996); results
- percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) Labor Party 44,
Likud bloc 32, Meretz 12, Tzomet 8, National Religious Party 6, Shas
6, United Torah Jewry 4, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality
(Hadash) 3, Moledet 3, Arab Democratic Party 2; note - in 1994 three
new parties were formed, Yi'ud (from Tzomet), Histadrut List (from the
Labor Party), and Peace Guard (from Moledet), resulting in the
following new distribution of seats - Labor Party 41, Likud bloc 32,
Meretz 12, National Religious Party 6, Shas 6, Tzomet 5, United Torah
Jewry 4, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) 3, Yi'ud 3,
Histadrut List 3, Moledet 2, Arab Democratic Party 2, Peace Guard 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
members of the government:
Labor Party, Prime Minister Yitzhak RABIN; MERETZ, Minister of
Communications Shulamit ALONI
not in coalition, but voting with the government:
SHAS, Arieh DERI; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash),
Hashim MAHAMID; Arab Democratic Party, Abd al Wahab DARAWSHAH;
Histadrut List, Haim RAMON
opposition parties:
Likud Party, Binyamin NETANYAHU; Tzomet, Rafael EITAN; National
Religious Party, Zevulun HAMMER; United Torah Jewry, Avraham SHAPIRA;
Moledet, Rehavam ZEEVI; Yi'ud, Gonen SEGEV; Peace Guard, Shoul GUTMAN
note:
Israel currently has a coalition government comprising 3 parties that
hold 56 seats of the Knesset's 120 seats
Other political or pressure groups:
Gush Emunim, Jewish nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the
West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now, critical of government's West
Bank/Gaza Strip and Lebanon policies
Member of:
AG (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (oberver), EBRD, ECE, FAO,
GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer),
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Itamar RABINOVICH
chancery:
3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 364-5500
FAX:
(202) 364-5610
consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
Philadelphia, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward DJEREJIAN (expected to resign in August 1994)
embassy:
71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
mailing address:
PSC 98, Box 100, Tel Aviv; APO AE 09830
telephone:
[972] (3) 517-4338
FAX:
[972] (3) 663-449
Flag:
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the
Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal
blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
@Israel, Economy
Overview:
Israel has a market economy with substantial government participation.
It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and
military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has
intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the
past 20 years. Industry employs about 22% of Israeli workers,
construction 6.5%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3.5%, and
services most of the rest. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and
agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports.
Israel usually posts current account deficits, which are covered by
large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half
of the government's external debt is owed to the United States, which
is its major source of economic and military aid. To earn needed
foreign exchange, Israel has been targeting high-technology niches in
international markets, such as medical scanning equipment. The influx
of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR, which topped 450,000 during
the period 1990-93, increased unemployment, intensified housing
problems, and strained the government budget. At the same time, the
immigrants bring to the economy valuable scientific and professional
expertise. Economic problems have eased as immigration has declined,
but activity has slowed as the economy shifts from housing to
export-driven growth.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $65.7 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
3.5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$13,350 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11.3% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.4% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$33.4 billion
expenditures:
$36.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $9.4 billion (FY93)
Exports:
$14.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and
apparel, agricultural products, metals
partners:
US, EC, Japan
Imports:
$20.3 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, other
productive inputs, consumer goods
partners:
US, EC
External debt:
$24.8 billion (December 1993 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 6.5% (1993 est.); accounts for about 30% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
5,835,000 kW
production:
21.84 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
4,600 kWh (1992)
Industries:
food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel,
chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment,
electrical equipment, miscellaneous machinery, potash mining,
high-technology electronics, tourism
Agriculture:
accounts for about 7% of GDP; largely self-sufficient in food
production, except for grains; principal products - citrus and other
fruits, vegetables, cotton; livestock products - beef, dairy, poultry
Illicit drugs:
increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse and trafficking
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $18.2 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.8
billion
Currency:
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.9760 (February 1994), 2.8301
(1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
@Israel, Communications
Railroads:
600 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated
Highways:
total:
13,300 km
paved:
13,300 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km
Ports:
Ashdod, Haifa
Merchant marine:
33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 637,097 GRT/737,762 DWT, cargo
8, container 22, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
note:
Israel also maintains a significant flag of convenience fleet, which
is normally at least as large as the Israeli flag fleet; the Israeli
flag of convenience fleet typically includes all of its oil tankers
Airports:
total:
55
usable:
48
with permanent-surface runways:
30
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
6
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
13
Telecommunications:
most highly developed in the Middle East although not the largest;
good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; 1,800,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 21 FM, 20 TV; 3 submarine
cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT
@Israel, Defense Forces
Branches:
Israel Defense Forces (including ground, naval, and air components)
note:
historically, there have been no separate Israeli military services
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,257,345; females age 15-49 1,280,899; males fit for
military service 1,026,699; females fit for military service
1,049,998; males reach military age (18) annually 47,297 (1994 est.);
females reach military age (18) annually 45,214 (1994 est.); both
sexes are liable for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $12.5 billion, 18% of GDP (1993)
@Italy, Geography
Location:
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean
Sea
Map references:
Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
301,230 sq km
land area:
294,020 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Arizona
note:
includes Sardinia and Sicily
Land boundaries:
total 1,899.2 km, Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km
Coastline:
4,996 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
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%
Irrigated land:
31,000 sq km (1989 est.)
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
natural hazards:
regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of
the Sea
Note:
strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as
southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe
@Italy, People
Population:
58,138,394 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.21% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
10.79 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
9.71 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
77.64 years
male:
74.44 years
female:
81.04 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.39 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Italian(s)
adjective:
Italian
Ethnic divisions:
Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and
Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians
in the south), Sicilians, Sardinians
Religions:
Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%
Languages:
Italian, 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 (1990 est.)
total population:
97%
male:
98%
female:
96%
Labor force:
23.988 million
by occupation:
services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)
@Italy, Government