total: 50
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 2
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 6
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 7
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 8
with paved runways under 914 m: 22
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 2.425 million (1990 est.)
Telephone system: most highly developed system in the Middle East
although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0
Radios: 2.25 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 20
Televisions: 1.5 million (1993 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air
components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen
(women); note - historically there have been no separate Israeli
military services
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 1,390,603
females age 15-49: 1,363,986
males fit for military service: 1,139,137
females fit for military service: 1,112,947
males reach military age (18) annually: 50,508
females reach military age (18) annually: 48,176 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $9.2 billion,
about 9.8% of GDP (1996)
======================================================================
@Italy
-----
Map
---
Location: 42 50 N, 12 50 E -- Southern Europe, a peninsula
extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
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
Geography
---------
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 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: 1,935.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 235 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
International disputes: Italy is negotiating with Slovenia over
property and minority rights issues dating from World War II
Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot,
dry in south
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal
lowlands
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
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; inadequate
industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
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 85, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification
Geographic note: strategic location dominating central
Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western
Europe
People
------
Population: 57,460,274 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 4,419,636; female 4,167,860)
15-64 years: 68% (male 19,656,546; female 19,629,291)
65 years and over: 17% (male 3,902,426; female 5,684,515) (July 1996
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.13% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 9.87 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 9.82 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.06 years
male: 74.85 years
female: 81.48 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (1996 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%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy
Data code: IT
Type of government: 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)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial
elections, where minimum age is 25)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)
was elected for a seven-year term by an electoral college consisting
of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the
President of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 18 May
1996) was appointed by the president
cabinet: Council of Ministers was nominated by the President of the
Council (i.e., Prime Minister) and approved by the President of the
Republic
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlamento)
Senate (Senato della Repubblica): elections last held 22 April 1996
(next to be held by NA); results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (326 total, 315 elected, 11 appointed senators-for-life)
Olive Tree 157, Freedom Alliance 116, Northern League 27, Refounded
Communists 10, regional lists 3, Social Movement-Tricolor Flames 1,
Panella Reformers 1
Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati): elections last held 22
April 1996 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party
NA; seats - (630 total) Olive Tree 284, Freedom Alliance 246,
Northern League 59, Refounded Communists 35, Southern Tyrol List 3,
Autonomous List 2, other 1
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (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:
Olive Tree: Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), Massimo D'ALEMA;
Greens, Carlo RIPA DI MEANA; Italian Renewal, Lamberto DINI;
Southern Tyrols List (German speakers)
Freedom Alliance: Forza Italia (FI), Silvio BERLUSCONI; National
Alliance (AN), Gianfranco FINI; Christian Democratic Center (CCD),
Pier Ferdinando CASINI; Democratic Union Party, Antonio MACCANICO
other: Northern League (NL), Umberto BOSSI; Italian Social Movement,
Pino RAUTI; Communist Refoundation (RC), Fausto BERTINOTTI; Italian
Socialists, Enrico BOSELLI; Rete (The Network), Leoluca ORLANDO;
Christian Socialists, Luciano GUERZONI; Democratic Pact for Italy,
Mario SEGNI; Italian Popular Party (PPI), Gerardo BIANCO; Pannella's
Reformers, Marco PANNELLA; Christian Democratic Union (United
Christian Democrats - CDU), Rocco BUTTIGLIONE; Democratic Alliance,
Willer BORDON; Union for the New Republic, Raffaele COSTA; Unitary
Communists, Famiano CRUCIANELLI; Autonomous List (a group of minor
parties); Social Movement-Tricolor Flames
Other political or pressure groups: the Roman Catholic Church;
three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale
Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL which is PDS-dominated, Confederazione
Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL which is centrist, and
Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL which is center-left); Italian
manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria,
Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori,
Confagricoltura)
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer),
AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN,
EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),
MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU,
WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO
chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 328-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 483-2187
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit and New Orleans
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Reginald BARTHOLOMEW
embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, Rome; APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (6) 46741
FAX: [39] (6) 488-2672
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
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
Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side),
white, and green
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Since World War II, the Italian 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 private companies, and an undeveloped
agricultural south, dominated by large public enterprises. Most raw
materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements
must be imported. In the second half of 1992, Rome became unsettled
by the prospect of not qualifying to participate in EU plans for
economic and monetary union later in the decade; thus, it finally
began to address its huge fiscal imbalances. Subsequently, the
government has adopted fairly stringent budgets, abandoned its
inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its
generous social welfare programs, including pension and health care
benefits. Monetary officials were forced to withdraw the lira from
the European monetary system in September 1992, when it came under
extreme pressure in currency markets. For the 1990s, Italy faces the
problems of pushing ahead with fiscal reform, refurbishing a
tottering communications system, curbing pollution in major
industrial centers, and adjusting to the new competitive forces
accompanying the ongoing expansion and economic integration of the
EU.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.0886 trillion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 3.2% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $18,700 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 31.6%
services: 65.5% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1995)
Labor force: 23.988 million
by occupation: services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 12.2% (January 1995)
Budget:
revenues: $339 billion
expenditures: $431 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1994 est.)
Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food
processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate: 5.5% (1995 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 61,630,000 kW
production: 209 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 4,033 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets,
soybeans, grain, olives; meat and dairy products; fish catch of
525,000 metric tons in 1990
Illicit drugs: important gateway country for Latin American
cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market
Exports: $190.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: metals, textiles and clothing, production machinery,
motor vehicles, transportation equipment, chemicals
partners: EU 53.4%, US 7.8%, OPEC 3.8% (1994)
Imports: $168.7 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: industrial machinery, chemicals, transport equipment,
petroleum, metals, food, agricultural products
partners: EU 56.3%, OPEC 5.3%, US 4.6% (1994)
External debt: $67 billion (1993 est.)
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $3.043 billion (1993)
Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,583.8 (January
1996), 1,629.6 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4
(1992), 1,240.6 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 18,961 km
standard gauge: 17,981 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS)
operates 16,118 km of the total standard gauge routes (10,560 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 113 km 1.000-m gauge (113 km electrified); 867 km
0.950-m gauge (144 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 305,388 km (including 45,076 km major roads, 112,111 km
secondary roads, 6,301 km motorways)
paved: 271,674 km
unpaved: 33,714 km (1991 est.)
Waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial traffic,
although of limited overall value
Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km;
natural gas 19,400 km
Ports: Ancona, Augusta, Bari, Cagliari (Sardinia), Catania, Gaeta,
Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples, Oristano (Sardinia), Palermo
(Sicily), Piombino, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Ravenna, Savona,
Trieste, Venice
Merchant marine:
total: 419 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,480,320
GRT/7,919,064 DWT
ships by type: bulk 35, cargo 57, chemical tanker 39, combination
bulk 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 16, liquefied gas tanker
37, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 123, passenger 5,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 53, short-sea passenger 31, specialized
tanker 11, vehicle carrier 7 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 132
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 5
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 34
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 15
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 24
with paved runways under 914 m: 32
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 20 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 25.6 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: 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 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840),
shortwave 0
Radios: 45.7 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 83 (repeaters 1,000)
Televisions: 24.35 million (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 14,739,097
males fit for military service: 12,769,628
males reach military age (18) annually: 358,884 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $20.4 billion,
1.9% of GDP (1995)
======================================================================
@Jamaica
-------
Map
---
Location: 18 15 N, 77 30 W -- Caribbean, island in the Caribbean
Sea, south of Cuba
Flag
----
Description: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four
triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer
side)
Geography
---------
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area: 10,990 sq km
land area: 10,830 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,022 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 6%
meadows and pastures: 18%
forest and woodland: 28%
other: 29%
Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial
waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution
in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
Geographic note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and
Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal
People
------
Population: 2,595,275 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 32% (male 430,609; female 411,966)
15-64 years: 61% (male 781,626; female 795,808)
65 years and over: 7% (male 77,725; female 97,541) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.8% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 22.19 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 5.57 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.99 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.88 years
male: 72.6 years
female: 77.29 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.45 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic divisions: African 76.3%, Afro-European 15.1%, East Indian
and Afro-East Indian 3%, white 3.2%, Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%,
other 1.2%
Religions: Protestant 55.9% (Church of God 18.4%, Baptist 10%,
Anglican 7.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.9%, Pentecostal 5.2%,
Methodist 3.1%, United Church 2.7%, other 2.5%), Roman Catholic 5%,
other, including some spiritual cults 39.1% (1982)
Languages: English, Creole
Literacy: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1995 est.)
total population: 85%
male: 80.8%
female: 89.1%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
Data code: JM
Type of government: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Kingston
Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover,
Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint
Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas,
Trelawny, Westmoreland
Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)
Constitution: 6 August 1962
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), a
hereditary monarch, is represented by Governor General Sir Howard
COOKE (since 1 August 1991) who was appointed by the queen on
recommendation of the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since
30 March 1992) and the Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since
NA 1993) were appointed by the governor general
cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the governor general on the advice
of the prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
Senate: consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor
general
House of Representatives: elections last held 30 March 1993 (next to
be held by March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats
- (60 total) PNP 52, JLP 8
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the governor
general on advice of the prime minister
Political parties and leaders: People's National Party (PNP), P.
J. PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA; National
Democratic Movement (NDM), Bruce GOLDING
Other political or pressure groups: Rastafarians (black
religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement
(NBM)
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC,
CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO,
ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR,
UNMIH, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador J. Gary COOPER
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor,
Kingston
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [1] (809) 929-4850 through 4859
FAX: [1] (809) 926-6743
Flag: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles -
green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
Economy
-------