country comparison to the world: 46
Electricity - consumption:
46.38 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
Electricity - exports:
2.081 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008)
Oil - production:
3,806 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Oil - consumption:
231,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Oil - exports:
69,580 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
Oil - imports:
318,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Oil - proved reserves:
1.94 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Natural gas - production:
1.19 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
Natural gas - consumption:
1.19 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
Natural gas - proved reserves:
30.44 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
Current account balance:
$6.269 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
$7.637 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$54.31 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
$45.9 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural
products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
Exports - partners:
US 35.05%, Hong Kong 6.02%, Belgium 4.95% (2009)
Imports:
$55.6 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
$45.99 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds,
fuels, grain, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
US 12.35%, China 7.43%, Germany 7.1%, Switzerland 6.94%, Belgium
5.42%, Italy 4.49%, UK 4.03%, Netherlands 3.98% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$66.98 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
$60.61 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$89.68 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
$86.78 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$64.82 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
$58.82 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$58.42 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
$55.02 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.7461 (2010), 3.9326
(2009), 3.588 (2008), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006)
Communications ::Israel
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.25 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 47
Telephones - mobile cellular:
9.022 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 70
Telephone system:
general assessment: most highly developed system in the Middle East
although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
all systems are digital; four privately-owned mobile-cellular
service providers with countrywide coverage
international: country code - 972; submarine cables provide links to
Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2008)
Broadcast media:
state broadcasting network, operated by the Israel Broadcasting
Authority (IBA), broadcasts on 2 channels, one in Hebrew and the
other in Arabic; 5 commercial channels including a channel
broadcasting in Russian, a channel broadcasting Knesset proceedings,
and a music channel supervised by a public body; multi-channel
satellite and cable TV packages provide access to foreign channels;
IBA broadcasts on 8 radio networks with multiple repeaters and
Israel Defense Forces Radio broadcasts over multiple stations; about
15 privately-owned radio stations; overall more than 100 stations
and repeater stations operating (2008)
Internet country code:
.il
Internet hosts:
1.689 million (2010)
country comparison to the world: 35
Internet users:
4.525 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 51
Transportation ::Israel
Airports:
48 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 92
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 30
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 6 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 14 (2010)
Heliports:
3 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 176 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 949 km
country comparison to the world: 92
standard gauge: 949 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 18,096 km
country comparison to the world: 116
paved: 18,096 km (includes 146 km of expressways) (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 10
country comparison to the world: 113
by type: cargo 2, container 8
registered in other countries: 51 (Bermuda 3, Cyprus 1, Georgia 1,
Honduras 1, Liberia 31, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 4,
Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa
Military ::Israel
Military branches:
Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Forces (IN), Israel Air
Force (IAF) (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary
(Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are
obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36
months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for
officers; pilots commit to 9 years service; reserve obligation to
age 41-51 (men), 24 (women) (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,771,661
females age 16-49: 1,687,698 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,496,542
females age 16-49: 1,425,537 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 61,613
female: 58,679 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
7.3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 6
Transnational Issues ::Israel
Disputes - international:
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status
subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent
status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel
continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along
parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew
its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four
settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is
Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan
Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor
ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated
incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the
region
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 150,000-420,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in
northern Israel) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse;
drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan;
money-laundering center
page last updated on January 19, 2011
======================================================================
@Italy (Europe)
Introduction ::Italy
Background:
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.
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: 301,340 sq km
country comparison to the world: 71
land: 294,140 sq km
water: 7,200 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries:
total: 1,899.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km
Coastline:
7,600 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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:
coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice,
fluorspar, 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)
Irrigated land:
27,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
175 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%)
per capita: 723 cu m/yr (1998)
Natural hazards:
regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
volcanism: Italy experiences significant volcanic activity; Etna
(elev. 3,330 m, 10,925 ft), which is in eruption as of 2010, is
Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to
nearby Sicilian villages; Etna, along with the famous Vesuvius,
which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the
Bay of Naples area, have both been deemed "Decade Volcanoes" by the
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the
Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and
close proximity to human populations; Stromboli, on its namesake
island, has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic
activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei,
Ischia, Larderello, Pantelleria, Vulcano, and Vulsini
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:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as
southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe
People ::Italy
Population:
58,090,681 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.5% (male 4,056,156/female 3,814,070)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 19,530,696/female 18,981,084)
65 years and over: 20.2% (male 4,903,762/female 6,840,444) (2010
est.)
Median age:
total: 43.7 years
male: 42.3 years
female: 45.3 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.075% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
Birth rate:
8.01 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 220
Death rate:
10.83 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
Net migration rate:
2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Urbanization:
urban population: 68% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.066 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.41 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 182
male: 5.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.33 years
country comparison to the world: 23
male: 77.39 years
female: 83.46 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.32 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
150,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,900 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
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:
Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing),
other 10% (includes 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: 98.4%
male: 98.8%
female: 98% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2007)
Education expenditures:
4.3% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 99
Government ::Italy
Country name:
conventional long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Rome
geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions
(regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma)
regions: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna,
Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte
(Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Toscana (Tuscany), Umbria, Veneto
(Venetia)
autonomous regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia);
Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or
Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee
d'Aoste (French)
Independence:
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally
unified until 1870)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
Constitution:
passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times
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 Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 8 May
2008) note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the
president of the Council of Ministers
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and
nominated by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a
seven-year term (no term limits); election last held on 10 May 2006
(next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the
president and confirmed by parliament
election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth
round of voting; electoral college vote - 543
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato
della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional vote
with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats
from that region; members to serve five-year terms; and up to 5
senators for life appointed by the president of the Republic) and
the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members
elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition
receiving 54% of chamber seats; members to serve five-year terms);
note - it has not been clarified if each president has the power to
designate up to five senators or if five is the number of senators
for life who might sit in the Senate
elections: Senate - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held
in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 13-14 April 2008
(next to be held in April 2013)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2), W.
VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118, IdV 3), UdC 3, other 6; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S.
BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8), W. VELTRONI
coalition 246 (PD 217, IdV 29), UdC 36, other 4
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-Right coalition: Lega Nord or LN [Umberto BOSSI]; Movement
for Autonomy or MpA [Raffaele LOMBARDO]; People of Freedom or PdL
[Silvio BERLUSCONI]
Center-Left coalition: Democratic Party or PD [Pier Luigi BERSANI];
Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]
other non-allied parties: Future and Liberty Party or FLI
[Gianfranco FINI]; Union of the Center or UdC [Pier Ferdinando
CASINI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
manufacturers and merchants associations - Confcommercio;
Confindustria; organized farm groups - Confcoltivatori;
Confagricoltura; Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union
confederations - Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL
[Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing; Confederazione Italiana dei
Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNO], which is Roman
Catholic centrist; Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi
ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia
Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CDB, CE, CEI,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-7, G-8,
G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,
ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner),
Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNRWA,
UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Giulio TERZI di Sant' Agata
chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400
FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David THORNE
embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 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;
design inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in
1797; colors are those of Milan (red and white) combined with the
green uniform color of the Milanese civic guard
note: similar to the flag of Mexico, which is longer, uses darker
shades of red and green, and has its coat of arms centered on the
white band; 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
National anthem:
name: "Il Canto degli Italiani" (The Song of the Italians)
lyrics/music: Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO
note: adopted 1946; the anthem, originally written in 1847, is also
known as "L'Inno di Mameli" (Mameli's Hymn), and "Fratelli D'Italia"
(Brothers of Italy)
Economy ::Italy
Economy - overview:
Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a
developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a
less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with high
unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the
manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and
medium-sized enterprises, many of them family owned. Italy also has
a sizable underground economy, which by some estimates accounts for
as much as 15% of GDP. These activities are most common within the
agriculture, construction, and service sectors. Italy has moved
slowly on implementing needed structural reforms, such as reducing
graft, overhauling costly entitlement programs, and increasing
employment opportunities for young workers, particularly women. The
international financial crisis worsened conditions in Italy's labor
market, with unemployment rising from 6.2% in 2007 to 8.4% in 2010,
but in the longer-term Italy's low fertility rate and quota-driven
immigration policies will increasingly strain its economy. A rise in
exports and investment driven by the global economic recovery
nevertheless helped the economy grow by about 1% in 2010 following a
5% contraction in 2009. The Italian government has struggled to
limit government spending, but Italy's exceedingly high public debt
remains above 115% of GDP, and its fiscal deficit - just 1.5% of GDP
in 2007 - exceeded 5% in 2009 and 2010, as the costs of servicing
the country's debt rose.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.782 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
$1.763 trillion (2009 est.)
$1.857 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.037 trillion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
-5.1% (2009 est.)
-1.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$30,700 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
$30,300 (2009 est.)
$31,900 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 24.9%
services: 73.3% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
25.05 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 4.2%
industry: 30.7%
services: 65.1% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
8.4% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
7.8% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%