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Italy

Specialty Definition: Italy

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Specialty Definition: Economy of Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Italian economy has changed dramatically since the end of World War II. From an agriculturally based economy, it has developed into an industrial state ranked as the world's fifth-largest industrial economy. Italy belongs to the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations; it is a member of the European Union and the OECD.

Italy has few natural resources. With much of the land unsuited for farming, it is a net food importer. There are no substantial deposits of iron, coal, or oil. Proven natural gas reserves, mainly in the Po Valley and offshore Adriatic, have grown in recent years and constitute the country's most important mineral resource. Most raw materials needed for manufacturing and more than 80% of the country's energy sources are imported. Italy's economic strength is in the processing and the manufacturing of goods, primarily in small and medium-sized family-owned firms. Its major industries are precision machinery, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electric goods, and fashion and clothing.

Italy is in the midst of a slow economic recovery and is gradually catching up to its west European neighbors. Italy's economy accelerated from anemic 0.7% growth in 1996 to 1.4% in 1999 and continued to rise to about 2.9% in 2000, which is closer to the EU projected growth rate of 3.1%. Domestic demand and exports were the dominant factors in GDP growth, but it nevertheless remains one of the lowest among industrialized countries.

Import growth continues to outpace export growth, resulting in a trade surplus in 2000 of $1.3 billion, down from $14 billion in 1999 and $60 billion in 1996.

With respect to inflation, Italy is now firmly within norms specified for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), a major achievement for this historically inflation-prone country. Consumer inflation fell from 3.9% in 1996 to 1.7% in 1999 but did rise again to 2.5% in 2000. The 1992 agreement on wage adjustments, which has helped keep wage pressures on inflation low, remains in effect. Tight monetary policy by the Bank of Italy also has helped bring inflation expectations down.

Since 1992, economic policy in Italy has focused primarily on reducing government budget deficits and reining in the national debt. Successive Italian governments have adopted annual austerity budgets with cutbacks in spending, as well as new revenue raising measures. Italy has enjoyed a primary budget surplus, net of interest payments, for the last 7 years. The deficit in public administration declined to 1.4% of GDP in 2000, down from 7% in 1995. Italy joined the European Monetary Union in May 1998. The national debt, which stood at roughly 124% of GDP in 1995, is declining steadily and is expected to meet the EU-imposed deficit to GDP ratio of 1.5% by 2006.

Italy's closest trade ties are with the other countries of the European Union, with whom it conducts about 59% of its total trade. Italy's largest EU trade partners, in order of market share, are Germany (19%), France (13%), and the Netherlands (6%).

U.S.-Italy Economic Relations
The U.S.-Italian bilateral relationship is strong and growing. The U.S. and Italy cooperate closely on major economic issues, including within the G-8, which met in Genoa in July 2001. With a large population and a high per capita income, Italy is one of the United States' most important trade partners. In 2000 the United States was the fifth-largest foreign supplier of the Italian market and the largest supplier outside the EU. Total trade between the United States and Italy exceeded $33 billion in 1999. The U.S. ran a $12.1 billion deficit with Italy in 2000.

Significant changes are occurring in the composition of this trade. More value-added products such as office machinery and aircraft are becoming the principal U.S. exports to Italy. The change reveals the growing sophistication of the Italian market, and bilateral trade should expand further. In 2000 the United States imported about $24.5 billion in Italian goods while exporting about $12.4 billion in U.S. goods to Italy. U.S. foreign direct investment in Italy at the end of 1999 exceeded $14.1 billion.

Labor
Unemployment has been steadily decreasing but remains high (10% in December 2000, it lowest level since 1992). It is especially severe in the south where average unemployment exceeded 20% this year. Women and youth have significantly higher rates of unemployment than do men. A rigid labor market serves as a disincentive to job creation. There is a significant underground economy absorbing substantial numbers of people, but they work for low wages and without standard social benefits and protections.

Unions claim to represent 40% of the work force. Most Italian unions are grouped in three major confederations--the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGIL), the Italian Confederation of Labor Unions (CISL), and the Union of Italian Labor (UIL), which together claim 35% of the work force. These confederations formerly were associated with important political parties or currents, but they have formally terminated such ties. Nowadays, the three often coordinate their positions before confronting management or lobbying the government. The three major confederations have an important consultative role on national social and economic issues. Among their major agreements are a 4-year wage moderation agreement signed in 1993, a reform of the pension system in 1995, and an employment pact, introducing steps for labor market flexibility in economically depressed areas, in 1996. The CGIL, CISL, and UIL are affiliates of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

Agriculture
Italy's agriculture is typical of the division between the agricultures of the northern and southern countries of the European Union. The northern part of Italy produces primarily grains, sugarbeets, soybeans, meat, and dairy products, while the south specializes in producing fruits, vegetables, olive oil, wine, and durum wheat.

Even though much of its mountainous terrain is unsuitable for farming, Italy has a large work force (1.4 million) employed in farming. Most farms are small, with the average farm only 7 hectares.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.212 trillion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.3% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,400 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.6%
industry: 31.6%
services: 65.8% (1998)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 23.7% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 23.193 million

Labor force - by occupation: services 61%, industry 32%, agriculture 7% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 11.5% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $530 billion
expenditures: $522 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (1998 est.)

Electricity - production: 243.027 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 80.22%
hydro: 17.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 2.48% (1998)

Electricity - consumption: 266.705 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports: 900 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports: 41.59 billion kWh (1998)

Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Exports: $242.6 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports - commodities: engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals

Exports - partners: EU 56% (Germany 16.5%, France 12.7%, UK 7.2%, Spain 5.8%, Netherlands 2.9%), US 8.5% (1998)

Imports: $206.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports - commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages and tobacco

Imports - partners: EU 61% (Germany 18.8%, France 13.12%, UK 6.47%, Netherlands 6.2%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4.7%), US 5.1% (1998)

Debt - external: $45 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1997)

Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi

Exchange rates: euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999); Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,688.7 (January 1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced a common currency that is now being used for non-cash transactions in some member countries at a fixed rate of 1,936.27 lire per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year

See also : Italy

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Economy of Italy."

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History of Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Romans

Greeks settled in the southern tip of the Italian peninsula in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.; Etruscans, Romans, and others inhabited the central and northern mainland. The peninsula subsequently was unified under the Roman Republic. After the victory in the Punic wars against the rival city of Carthage, the neighboring islands also came under Roman control by the third century B.C.; in the first century A.D. the roman state effectively dominated the Mediterranean world but was subject to several civil wars, leading to the transformation into the Roman Empire. In the 4th century A.D., the empire was split into eastern and western halves. The Eastern Roman Empire (a.k.a. the Byzantine Empire) lasted for another millennium, but the Western Roman Empire rapidly collapsed.

The Middle Ages and the Renaissance

After the 5th century A.D., the peninsula and islands were subjected to a series of invasions, and political unity was lost. Italy became an oft-changing succession of small states, principalities, and kingdoms, which fought among themselves and were subject to ambitions of foreign powers. Popes of Rome ruled central Italy; rivalries between the popes and the Holy Roman Emperors, who claimed Italy as their domain, often made the peninsula a battleground. Beginning in the 11th century, and in spite of the political turmoil, Italian cities (especially in the northern and central regions) enjoyed an era of commercial prosperity which lasted until the 16th century and led to great intellectual and artistical achievements such as those of the Renaissance.

Foreign domination

In the 16th century most of the small Italian states were defeated and conquered by foreign powers, especially Spain. Italy suffered the move of the main trade routes from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and the Catholic Counter-Reformation, preventing the development of science (see Galileo Galilei) put an end to Italian cultural leadership. The result was that the country steadily declined in the following centuries.

Italian unification

After the Napoleonic wars, by the early 19th century, a nationalist movement developed and led to a series of Italian Independence wars, mainly against Austria-Hungary (which had replaced Spain as the dominant foreign power). As a result, the small kingdom of Sardinia (including also the north-western regions of continental Italy) achieved the reunification of the whole of Italy (except for Rome) in the 1860s, in large part due to the brilliance of the Prime Minister of Sardinia, Count Camillo Benso di Cavour. In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy was proclaimed King of Italy. Rome was incorporated in 1870. From 1861 until 1922, Italy was a constitutional monarchy with a parliament elected under limited suffrage.

The World Wars

During World War I, Italy renounced its standing alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary and, on May 23, 1915, entered the war on the side of the Entente. Under the postwar settlement, Italy received some former Austrian territory along the northeast frontier. In 1922, Benito Mussolini (leader of the Fascist Party) came to power and, over the next few years, eliminated political parties, curtailed personal liberties, and installed a fascist dictatorship termed the Corporate State. The king Victor Emmanuel III, with little effective power, endorsed the change and remained titular head of state.

At the beginning of World War II Italy was allied with Germany and declared war on the United Kingdom and France in 1940. In 1941, Italy--with the other Axis powers, Germany and Japan--declared war on the United States and the Soviet Union. Following the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, the King dismissed Mussolini and appointed Marshal Pietro Badoglio as Premier. In September 1943 the Badoglio government declared war on Germany, which quickly occupied most of the country and freed Mussolini, who led a brief-lived regime, the Italian Social Republic, in the north. An anti-fascist popular resistance movement grew during the last 2 years of the war, harassing German forces before they were driven out in April 1945.

Birth of the Italian Republic

In 1946, a referendum (the first case in which women were allowed to vote, in Italy) ended the monarchy, and a constituent assembly was elected to write a constitution for the republic. The birth of the Italian Republic was however object of deep discussion.

Recent history

Under the 1947 peace treaty, minor adjustments were made in Italy's frontier with France, the eastern border area was transferred to Yugoslavia, and the area around the city of Trieste was designated a free territory. In 1954, the free territory, which had remained under the administration of U.S.-U.K. forces (Zone A, including the city of Trieste) and Yugoslav forces (Zone B), was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia, principally along the zonal boundary. This arrangement was made permanent by the Italian-Yugoslav Treaty of Osimo, ratified in 1977 (currently being discussed by Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia). Under the 1947 peace treaty, Italy also relinquished its overseas territories (Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia and Libya) and certain eastern mediterranean islands.

After the war, Italian politics was dominated by the Democrazia Cristiana (christian democrat) party, which (together with minor allies, such as socialists) held the government for about 40 years. The main opposition party was the Partito Comunista Italiano, probably the largest communist party in western Europe. In the fifties Italy became a member of the NATO alliance and an ally of the United States, who helped to revive the Italian economy through the Marshall Plan. In the same years, Italy also became a member of the EEC (European Economical Community) and then of the European Union. Despite problems such as criminal organizations (such as themafia and the terrorist Brigate Rosse) and the deep corruption of the Italian political system, the country benefited from rapid economic growth.

The Roman Catholic Church's status in Italy has been determined, since its temporal powers ended in 1870, by a series of accords with the Italian Government. Under the Lateran Pacts of 1929, which were confirmed by the present constitution, the state of Vatican City is recognized by Italy as an independent, sovereign entity. While preserving that recognition, in 1984, Italy and the Vatican updated several provisions of the 1929 accords. Included was the end of Roman Catholicism as Italy's formal state religion.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "History of Italy."

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Italian hip hop

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Italian rap started in the early nineties. One of the earliest crews was Milan's Articolo 31, then and still today produced by Franco Goddi who wrote the soundtrack to the animated TV series "Signor Rossi" in the 1970s.

They started out as a mainly East Coast inspired rap duo, but changed to a more commercial style during their career, now definitely closed. Other important crews and rappers include Bologna's Camelz in Effect with their unforgettable early hit "Slega la Lega", Sangue Misto SXM, Jovanotti who is also a cantautore and even though he raps not part of hip hop culture, the political band 99 Posse from Rome who also are influenced from trip hop world music, Gangster rap-influenced Sa Razza from Sardinia. Also influenced by Gangster rap are Sottotono from Varese and La Fossa from Sardinia.

There are also some crews rapping in the local idioms, e.g. La Famiglia (produced by Franco Godi) in napoletano, 99 Posse (partly) in romano, Sa Razza (partly) in Sardinian.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Italian hip hop."

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Italian national football team

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Italian national football team is one of the most successful national football teams, having won three World Cupss.

Honors

• World Cup (3) - 1934 1938 1982
• European Championship (1) - 1968

Famous Players

• Roberto Baggio
• Franco Baresi
• Paolo Maldini
• Giuseppe Meazza
• Alessandro Del Piero
• Paolo Rossi
• Alfredo Di Stefano
• Dino Zoff
• Gianfranco Zola

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Italian national football team."

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Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Alternate uses: Italy (disambiguation)

The Italian Republic or Italy is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north it is bound by the Alps, where it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

Repubblica Italiana

(In Detail)
National motto: None
Official language	Italian (+ German and Ladin in South Tyrol, Slovenian in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and French in Valle d'Aosta.)
Capital	Rome
Largest City	Rome
President	Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Prime minister	Silvio Berlusconi
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 69th 301,230 km² 2.4%
Population  - Total (2002)  - Density	Ranked 22nd 57'715'625 196/km²
Independence  - Date	Italian unification March 17, 1861
Currency	Euro¹ (EUR), Italian euro coins
Time zone	UTC +1
National anthem	Fratelli d'Italia
Internet TLD	.IT
Calling Code	39
(1) Prior to 1999: Lira

History

Main article: History of Italy

Italy's history is perhaps the most important one for the cultural and social development of the Mediterranean area as a whole. The country has been host to important human activities in prehistoric times, and thusly archaeological sites of note can be found in many regions: Latium and Tuscany, Umbria and Basilicata. After Magna Graecia, the Etruscan civilisation and especially the Roman Empire that came to dominate this part of the world for many centuries, came the medieval Humanism and the Renaissance that further helped to shape European philosophy and art. The city of Rome contains some of the most important examples of the Baroque.

The Italy of modern time became a nation-state belatedly - on March 17, 1861 when the states of the peninsula and the Two Sicilies were united under king Victor Emmanuel II of the Savoy dynasty, hitherto ruler of Piedmont and kings of Sardinia. The architect of Italian unification, however, was Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, the Chief Minister of Victor Emmanuel. Rome itself remained for a decade under the Papacy, and became part of the Kingdom of Italy only on September 20, 1870, the final date of Italian unification. The Vatican is now an independent enclave surrounded by Italy, as is San Marino.

The Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini that took over in 1922 led to a disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany and Japan, and ultimately Italy's defeat in World War II. On June 2, 1946 a referendum on the monarchy resulted in the establishment of the Italian republic, which led to the adoption of a new constitution on January 1, 1948. Members of the royal family were sent into exile because of their association with the fascist regime.

Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Union, and hence joined the growing political and economic unification of Western Europe, including the introduction of the Euro in 1999.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Italy

The 1948 constitution established a bicameral parliament (Parlamento), consisting of a Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) and a Senate (Senato della Repubblica), a separate judiciary, and an executive branch composed of a Council of Ministers (cabinet), headed by the president of the council (prime minister). The president of the republic is elected for 7 years by the parliament sitting jointly with a small number of regional delegates. The president nominates the prime minister, who proposes the other ministers (formally named by the president). The Council of Ministers (mostly, but not necessarily composed of members of parliament) must retain the confidence (Fiducia) of both houses.

The houses of parliament are popularly and directly elected by a mixed majoritarian and proportional representation system. Under 1993 legislation, Italy has single-member districts for 75% of the seats in parliament; the remaining 25% of seats are allotted on a proportional basis. The Chamber of Deputies has 630 members. In addition to 315 elected members, the Senate includes former presidents and several other persons appointed for life according to special constitutional provisions. Both houses are elected for a maximum of 5 years, but either may be dissolved before the expiration of its normal term. Legislative bills may originate in either house and must be passed by a majority in both.

The Italian judicial system is based on Roman law modified by the Napoleonic code and later statutes. A constitutional court, the Corte Costituzionale, which passes on the constitutionality of laws, is a post-World War II innovation.

Regions

Main article: Regions of Italy

Map

Italy is subdivided into 20 regions (regioni, singular regione), of which five enjoy a special autonomous status, marked by a *:

• Abruzzo
• Basilicata
• Calabria
• Campania
• Emilia-Romagna
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia *
• Latium (Lazio)
• Liguria
• Lombardy (Lombardia)
• Marche
• Molise
• Piedmont (Piemonte)
• Apulia (Puglia)
• Sardinia (Sardegna) *
• Sicily (Sicilia) *
• Tuscany (Toscana)
• Trentino-South Tyrol(Trentino-Alto Adige) *
• Umbria
• Aosta Valley (Valle d'Aosta)*
• Veneto

A region can be further subdivided into provinces.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Italy

Italy consists predominantly of a large peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, where together with its two main islands Sicily and Sardinia it creates distinct bodies of water, such as the Adriatic Sea to the north-east, the Ionian Sea to the south-east, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the south-west and finally the Ligurian Sea to the north-west.

The Apennine mountains form the backbone of this peninsula, leading north-west to where they join the Alps, the mountain range that then forms an arc enclosing Italy from the north. Here is also found a large alluvial plain, the Po-Venetian plain, drained by the Po River and its many tributaries flowing down from the Alps, Appennines and Dolomites. Other well-known rivers include the Tiber, Adige and Arno.

Its highest point is the Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) at 4,810 m, but Italy is more typically associated with two famous volcanoes: the currently dormant Vesuvius near Naples and the very active Etna on Sicily.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Italy

Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the United Kingdom. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed 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 and joined the Euro from its conception in 1999.

Italy's economic performance has lagged behind that of its EU partners, and the current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. It has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labour market and expensive pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labour unions.

• List of Italian companies

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Italy

Italy is largely homogeneous linguistically and religiously but is diverse culturally, economically, and politically. Italy has the fifth-highest population density in Europe at 196 persons per square kilometre. Minority groups are small, the largest being the German speaking in South Tyrol (1991: 287.503 german and 116.914 italian speaking) and the Slovenians around Trieste.

Other minority groups with partly official languages include the French speaking minority in the Valle d'Aosta region; the Sardinian language on Sardinia); the Ladin language in the Dolomites mountains; and the Friulian language in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, all four being Romance languages. In addition there exist several small local minorities, such as the Occitans in the southern Piedmont valleys; the Catalans in the town of Alghero on Sardinia; Albanians in villages in Calabria and Sicily; and ancient Greek dialects in villages of Calabria.

Although Roman Catholicism is the majority religion (85% of native-born citizens are nominally Catholic) there are mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Italy

Italy is well-known for its art, culture, and several monuments, among them the leaning tower of Pisa and the Roman Colosseum, as well as for its food (pizza, pasta, etc.), wine, lifestyle, elegance, design, cinema, theatre, literature, poetry, visual arts, music (notably Opera), holidays, and generally speaking, for taste.

Europe's Renaissance period began in Italy during the 14th and 15th centuries. Literary achievements, such as the poetry of Petrarch, Tasso, and Ariosto and the prose of Boccaccio, Machiavelli, and Castiglione exerted a tremendous and lasting influence on the subsequent development of Western culture, as did the painting, sculpture, and architecture contributed by giants such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, and Michelangelo. Modern artists include the sculptor Tommaso Geraci.

The musical influence of Italian composers Monteverdi, Palestrina, and Vivaldi proved epochal; in the 19th century, Italian romantic opera flourished under composers Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, and Giacomo Puccini. Contemporary Italian artists, writers, filmmakers, architects, composers, and designers continue to contribute significantly to Western culture.

Football is the main national sport. Italy has won the Football World Cup three times: in 1934, 1938 and 1982. Italian football has produced some of world's best football players and teams. The latter include A.C. Milan and Inter Milano FC from Milan, A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio from Rome, Juventus from Turin, and Fiorentina from Florence.

• List of Italians
• Cinema of Italy
• Music of Italy

Holidays

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	Capodanno
January 6	Epiphany	Epifania
Moveable	Easter Sunday	Pasqua
Moveable	Easter Monday	Lunedì di Pasqua
April 25	Anniversary of Liberation	Liberazione	1945
May 1	Labour day	Festa del Lavoro
June 2	Republic Day	Festa della Repubblica	1946
August 15	Assumption Day	Assunzione
November 1	All Saints	Tutti i Santi
December 8	Immaculate Conception	Immacolata
December 25	Christmas	Natale
December 26	St. Stephen's Day	Santo Stefano
December 31	New Year's Eve	San Silvestro

International rankings

• world-wide press freedom index Rank 40 out of 139 countries

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Italy
• Transportation in Italy
• Military of Italy
• Foreign relations of Italy
• Tourism in Italy
• Stamps and postal history of Italy
• Dishes : Pandoro.

External links

• Presidenza della Repubblica - Official site of the Italian president (in Italian)
• Parlamento - Official site of the Italian parliament (Senate in Italian only)
• gov.it Main governmental portal (in Italian)
• Farnesina, Italian Foreign Office
• Windows on Italy - More information about Italy (in English)
• Italy Banknotes

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European Union:
Austria  |  Belgium  |  Denmark  |  Finland  |  France  |  Germany  |  Greece | Ireland
Italy  |  Luxembourg  |  Netherlands  |  Portugal  |  Spain  |  Sweden  |  United Kingdom

Countries acceding to membership on May 1, 2004:
Cyprus  |  Czech Republic  |  Estonia  |  Hungary  |  Latvia  |  Lithuania  |  Malta  |  Poland  |  Slovakia  |  Slovenia

Countries of the world  |  Europe  |  Council of Europe simple:Italy

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Italy."

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Italy (disambiguation)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Italy is the name of:

• a European country: Italy
• places in the United States
  • Italy, New York, in Yates County
  • Italy, Texas

Wikipedia:This is a disambiguation page. If you followed a link here, you might want to go back and fix that link to point to the appropriate specific page.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Italy (disambiguation)."

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Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Italy used the San Remo Music Festival to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1956.

Results

See: Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest

Countries in 1956

Belgium - France - Germany - Italy - Luxdembourg - Netherlands - Switzerland

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956."

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Italy, New York

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Italy is a town located in Yates County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,087. The town takes its name the European country, Italy.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 104.3 km² (40.3 mi²). 104.0 km² (40.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.27% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 1,087 people, 421 households, and 293 families residing in the town. The population density is 10.5/km² (27.1/mi²). There are 584 housing units at an average density of 5.6/km² (14.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.34% White, 0.09% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 421 households out of which 31.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% are married couples living together, 6.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% are non-families. 21.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.58 and the average family size is 2.96. In the town the population is spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 105.5 males. The median income for a household in the town is $33,750, and the median income for a family is $36,250. Males have a median income of $25,795 versus $24,167 for females. The per capita income for the town is $14,472. 12.7% of the population and 7.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 18.4% are under the age of 18 and 1.2% are 65 or older.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Italy, New York."

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Italy, Texas

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Italy is a town located in Ellis County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,993.

Geography

Italy is located at 32°10'58" North, 96°53'6" West (32.182705, -96.884967)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.6 km² (1.8 mi²). 4.6 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 1,993 people, 656 households, and 501 families residing in the town. The population density is 429.9/km² (1,111.2/mi²). There are 731 housing units at an average density of 157.7/km² (407.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 74.26% White, 19.72% African American, 0.85% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.46% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 12.64% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 656 households out of which 42.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% are married couples living together, 16.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% are non-families. 21.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.97 and the average family size is 3.41. In the town the population is spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the town is $41,853, and the median income for a family is $47,788. Males have a median income of $33,182 versus $24,600 for females. The per capita income for the town is $15,335. 8.9% of the population and 7.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 10.7% are under the age of 18 and 15.6% are 65 or older.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Italy, Texas."

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List of cities in Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

• Agrigento
• Alessandria
• Ancona
• Aosta
• L'Aquila
• Arezzo
• Ascoli Piceno
• Asti
• Avellino
• Bari
• Barletta
• Belluno
• Benevento
• Biella
• Bologna
• Bergamo
• Bolzano
• Brescia
• Brindisi
• Cagliari
• Campobasso
• Caltanissetta
• Capri
• Carrara
• Caserta
• Castrovilla
• Catania
• Catanzaro
• Cattolica
• Chieti
• Como
• Cosenza
• Crotone
• Cuneo
• Elba
• Empoli
• Enna
• Fabriano
• Ferrara
• Firenze (Florence)
• Foggia
• Forlì
• Frosinone
• Genova (Genoa)
• Gorizia
• Grosseto
• Imperia
• Isernia
• Isole Eolie
• Isole Pelagie
• Latina
• Lecco
• Lucca
• Macerata
• Mantova
• Massa
• Matera
• Mazara del Vallo
• Messina
• Milano (Milan)
• Modena
• Monza
• Napoli (Naples)
• Novara
• Nuoro
• Olbia
• Oristano
• Otranto
• Padova (Padua)
• Palermo
• Pantelleria
• Parma
• Perugia
• Pesaro
• Pescara
• Piacenza
• Pistoia
• Pisa
• Pordenone
• Potenza
• Prato
• Ravenna
• Reggio nell'Emilia
• Rieti
• Rimini
• Roma (Rome)
• Rossano
• Rovigo
• Salerno
• Sassari
• Sondrio
• Siena
• Siracusa
• La Spezia
• Taranto
• Tarviso
• Teramo
• Terni
• Trapani
• Trento
• Treviso
• Trieste
• Udine
• Varese
• Vasto
• Venezia (Venice)
• Vercelli
• Verona, Italy
• Viareggio
• Vicenza
• Viterbo

External link

Map

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "List of cities in Italy."

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List of Presidents of Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

List of Presidents of Italy

• Enrico de Nicola (1946-1948)
• Luigi Einaudi (1948-1955)
• Giovanni Gronchi (1955-1962)
• Antonio Segni (1962-1964)
• Giuseppe Saragat (1964-1971)
• Giovanni Leone (1971-1978)
• Alessandro Pertini (1978-1985)
• Francesco Cossiga (1985-1992)
• Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (1992-1999)
• Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (1999-present)

See also: Politics of Italy, List of Prime Ministers of Italy, Lists of incumbents

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "List of Presidents of Italy."

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List of Prime Ministers of Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This is a list of Prime Ministers of Italy.

When?	Who?
1861	Camillo Benso conte di Cavour
1861 - 1862	Bettino Ricàsoli
1862	Urbano Rattazzi
1862 - 1863	Luigi Carlo Farini
1863 - 1864	Marco Minghetti
1864 - 1866	Alfonso Ferrero, Cavaliere La-Màrmora
1866 - 1867	Bettino Ricàsoli (2nd time)
1867 - 1867	Urbano Rattazzi (2nd time)
1867 - 1869	Federico Luigi, Conte Menabrea
1869 - 1873	Giovanni Lanza
1873 - 1876	Marco Minghetti (2nd time)
1876 - 1878	Agostino Depretis
1878	Benedetto Càiroli
1878 - 1879	Agostino Depretis (2nd time)
1879 - 1881	Benedetto Càiroli (2nd time)
1881 - 1887	Agostino Depretis (3rd time)
1887 - 1891	Francesco Crispi
1891 - 1892	Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì
1892 - 1893	Giovanni Giolitti
1893 - 1896	Francesco Crispi (2nd time)
1896 - 1898	Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì (2nd time)
1898 - 1900	Luigi Pelloux
1900 - 1901	Giuseppe Saracco
1901 - 1903	Giuseppe Zanardelli
1903 - 1905	Giovanni Giolitti (2nd time)
1905 - 1906	Alessandro Fortis
1906	Sidney Sonnino
1906 - 1909	Giovanni Giolitti (3rd time)
1909 - 1910	Sidney Sonnino (2nd time)
1910 - 1911	Luigi Luzzatti
1911 - 1914	Giovanni Giolitti (4th time)
1914 - 1916	Antonio Salandra
1916 - 1917	Paolo Boselli
1917 - 1919	Vittorio Emanuele Orlando
1919 - 1920	Francesco Saverio Nitti
1920 - 1921	Giovanni Giolitti (5th time)
1921 - 1922	Ivanoe Bonomi
1922	Luigi Facta
1922 - 1943	Benito Mussolini (il Duce)
1943 - 1944	General Pietro Badoglio (Provisional Military Government)
1944 - 1945	Ivanoe Bonomi (2nd time)
1945	Ferruccio Parri
1945 - 1953	Alcide De Gasperi
1953 - 1954	Giuseppe Pella
1954	Amintore Fanfani
1954 - 1955	Mario Scelba
1955 - 1957	Antonio Segni
1957 - 1958	Adone Zoli
1958 - 1959	Amintore Fanfani (2nd time)
1959 - 1960	Antonio Segni (2nd time)
1960	Fernando Tambroni-Armaroli
1960 - 1963	Amintore Fanfani (3rd time)
1963	Giovanni Leone
1963 - 1968	Aldo Moro
1968	Giovanni Leone (2nd time)
1968 - 1970	Mariano Rumor
1970 - 1972	Emilio Colombo
1972 - 1973	Giulio Andreotti
1973 - 1974	Mariano Rumor (2nd time)
1974 - 1976	Aldo Moro (2nd time)
1976 - 1979	Giulio Andreotti (2nd time)
1979 - 1980	Francesco Cossiga
1980 - 1981	Arnaldo Forlani
1981 - 1982	Giovanni Spadolini
1982 - 1983	Amintore Fanfani (4th time)
1983 - 1987	Bettino Craxi
1987	Amintore Fanfani (5th time)
1987 - 1988	Giovanni Goria
1988 - 1989	Ciriaco De Mita
1989 - 1992	Giulio Andreotti (3rd time)
1992 - 1993	Giuliano Amato
1993 - 1994	Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
1994 - 1995	Silvio Berlusconi
1995 - 1996	Lamberto Dini
1996 - 1998	Romano Prodi
1998 - 2000	Massimo D'Alema
2000 - 2001	Giuliano Amato (2nd time)
2001 - today	Silvio Berlusconi (2nd time)

See also: Presidents of Italy, Politics of Italy, History of Italy, Incumbents

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "List of Prime Ministers of Italy."

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Politics of Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Italy has been a democratic republic since June 2, 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by popular referendum (see Birth of the Italian Republic). The constitution was promulgated on January 1, 1948.

The Italian State is highly centralized, with a central state authority (the Government), 20 regions and about a hundred provinces. The prefect of each of the provinces is appointed by and answerable to the central government, which he locally represents.

The national constitution provides for 20 regions with limited governing powers. Five regions (Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia) have special autonomy statutes. The other 15 regions were established in 1970 and vote for regional "councils." The establishment of regional governments throughout Italy has brought some decentralization to the national governmental machinery.

The 1948 constitution established a bicameral parliament (Chamber of Deputies and Senate), a separate judiciary, and an executive branch composed of a Council of Ministers (cabinet), headed by the president of the council (prime minister). The president of the republic is elected for 7 years by the parliament sitting jointly with a small number of regional delegates. The president nominates the prime minister, who proposes the other ministers (formally named by the president). The Council of Ministers (mostly, but not necessarily composed of members of parliament) must retain the confidence (Fiducia) of both houses.

The houses of parliament are popularly and directly elected by a mixed majoritarian and proportional representation system. Under 1993 legislation, Italy has single-member districts for 75% of the seats in parliament; the remaining 25% of seats are allotted on a proportional basis. The Chamber of Deputies has 630 members, of whom twelve represent Italians residing overseas. The Senate includes 315 elected members, of whom six represent Italians residing overseas, former presidents and several other persons appointed for life according to special constitutional provisions. Both houses are elected for a maximum of 5 years, but either may be dissolved before the expiration of its normal term. Legislative bills may originate in either house and must be passed by a majority in both.

The Italian judicial system is based on Roman law modified by the Napoleonic code and later statutes. There is only partial judicial review of legislation in the American sense. A constitutional court, which passes on the constitutionality of laws, is a post-World War II innovation. Its powers, volume, and frequency of decisions are not as extensive as those of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Political conditions

There have been frequent government turnovers since 1945. The dominance of the Christian Democratic (Democrazia Cristiana) party during much of the postwar period lent continuity and comparative stability to Italy's political situation.

From 1992 to 1997, Italy faced significant challenges as voters (disenchanted with past political paralysis, massive government debt, extensive corruption, and organized crime's considerable influence) demanded political, economic, and ethical reforms. In 1993 referendums, voters approved substantial changes, including moving from a proportional to a largely majoritarian electoral system and the abolishment of some ministries (some of which have however been reintroduced with only partly modified competences).

Major political parties, beset by scandal and loss of voter confidence, underwent far-reaching changes. New political forces and new alignments of power emerged in March 1994 national elections. The election saw a major turnover in the new parliament, with 452 out of 630 deputies and 213 out of 315 senators elected for the first time. The 1994 elections also swept media magnate Silvio Berlusconi (leader of "Freedom Pole" (Casa delle Libertà) coalition) into office as Prime Minister. Berlusconi, however, was forced to step down in January 1995 when one member of his coalition withdrew support. The Berlusconi government was succeeded by a technical government headed by Prime Minister Lamberto Dini, which fell in early 1996.

A series of center-left coalitions dominated Italy's political landscape between 1996 and 2001. In April 1996, national elections led to the victory of a center-left coalition (the Olive Tree) under the leadership of Romano Prodi. Prodi's government became the third-longest to stay in power before he narrowly lost a vote of confidence (by three votes) in October 1998. A new government was formed by Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) leader and former-communist Massimo D'Alema. In April 2000, following a poor showing by his coalition in regional elections, D'Alema resigned. The succeeding center-left government, including most of the same parties, was headed by Giuliano Amato, who previously served as Prime Minister in 1992-93.

National elections held on May 13, 2001 returned Berlusconi to power at the head of the five-party center-right "Freedom House" coalition, comprising the prime minister's own party, Forza Italia, the National Alliance, the Northern League, the Christian Democratic Center, and the United Christian Democrats.

In May 1999, the Parliament selected Carlo Azeglio Ciampi as the Republic's President. Ciampi, a former Prime Minister and Minister of the Treasury and before the governor of the Bank of Italy, was elected on the first ballot with an easy margin over the required two-thirds votes.

Political Parties

Italy's dramatic self-renewal transformed the political landscape between 1992 and 1997. Scandal investigations touched thousands of politicians, administrators, and businessmen; the shift from a proportional to majoritarian voting system (with the requirement to obtain a minimum of 4% of the national vote to obtain representation) also altered the political landscape.

Party changes were sweeping. The Christian Democratic party dissolved; the Italian People's Party and the Christian Democratic Center emerged. Other major parties, such as the Socialists, saw support plummet. A new liberal movement, Forza Italia, gained wide support among moderate voters. The National Alliance broke from the (alleged neo-fascist) Italian Social Movement (MSI). A trend toward two large coalitions (one on the center-left and the other on the center-right) emerged from the April 1995 regional elections. For the 1996 national elections, the center-left parties created the Olive Tree coalition while the center-right united again under the Freedom Pole. The May 2001 elections ushered into power a refashioned center-right coalition dominated by Berlusconi's party, Forza Italia. The Olive Tree coalition now sits in the opposition. This emerging bipolarity represents a major break from the fragmented, multi-party political landscape of the postwar era, although it appears to have reached a plateau, since efforts via referendums to further curtail the influence of small parties were defeated in 1999 and 2000. The constant debate among respective components of both coalitions, is however intense, and some observers noted in this dialectical activity some, perhaps inertial, similarities with the previous system.

The largest parties in the Chamber are:

• Forza Italia (28.8%);
• Democrats of the Left (22.1%);
• the National Alliance (16%);
• the Daisy center-left coalition, which includes elements from Italian Renewal;
• Democrats and Union of Democrats for Europe (13%);
• the Whiteflower coalition of two centrist parties (6.4%).

Similar rankings generally apply in the Senate, in which Forza Italia and the Democrats of the Left remain the dominant parties.

Data

Country name:
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

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 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until September 20, 1870, conquest of Rome)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, June 2 (1946)

Constitution: 1 January 1948

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 Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (since 13 May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Silvio Berlusconi (since 28 June 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president, then trusted by parliament
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term; election last held 13 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2006); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament
election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 70%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats elected by popular vote of which 232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by regional proportional representation plus, in addition, there are a small number of senators-for-life including former presidents of the republic; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional proportional representation; members serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held April 2001; Chamber of Deputies - last held April 2001
election results:

• Senate - seats by party:
  • Olive Tree + Southern Tyrol People's Party 128,
  • Freedom Alliance 177,
  • Communist Renewal 3,
  • Di Pietro List 1,
  • European Democracy 1,
  • Others 4.

• Chamber of Deputies - seats by party
  • Olive Tree 242,
  • Freedom Alliance 368,
  • Communist Renewal 11,
  • Olive Tree + Southern Tyrol People's Party 8,
  • others 1

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:

• Bonino List or LB (used to be the Autonomous List, a group of minor parties) [Emma BONINO];
• Christian Democratic Center or CCD [Pier Ferdinando CASINI];
• Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE];
• Communist Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI];
• Daisy Center-Left Coalition [Francesco RUTELLI]
  • Democrats, Olive Tree, PPI, RI, UDEUR;
• Democratic Party [Arturo PARISI];
• Democratic Party of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO];
• Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI];
• Di Pietro List or Italia dei Valori [Antonio DI PIETRO];
• Freedom Alliance (a center-right coalition) [leader Silvio BERLUSCONI]
  • FI, AN, CCD;
• Green Federation or FdV [Alfonso PECORARO SCANIO];
• Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Armando COSSUTTA];
• Italian Democratic Socialists or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI];
• Italian Popular Party or PPI [Pierluigi CASTAGNETTI];
• Italian Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI];
• Italian Social Movement-Tricolored Flame or MSI-FT [Pino RAUTI];
• National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI];
• Northern League-Padania or NL-Padania [Umberto BOSSI];
• Radical Party (formerly Panella Reformers) [Daniele CAPEZZONE];
• Republican Party or PR [Giorgio LA MALFA];
• Southern Tyrols People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Siegfried BRUGGER];
• Union of Democrats for Europe or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA];
• Union for the Republic or UPR [Francesco COSSIGA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

• Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio);
• organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura);
• Roman Catholic Church;
• three major trade union confederations:
  • (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Sergio COFFERATI] which is left wing,
  • Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Sergio D'ANTONI] which is Catholic centrist, and
  • Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Pietro LARIZZA] which is lay centrist)

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICC, ICFTU ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS IHO, ILO, IMF, International Maritime Organization, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, NMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee

Flag description:
The italian national flag has 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
note: presumably inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797. Other sources say instead it was chosen by Giuseppe Garibaldi (the "2 Worlds hero") as the flag for his army "Cacciatori delle Alpi", not really much more than a platoon with which he defeated several better organised armies, like Austrian one. After Independence Wars, the "tricolore" (the way the flag is popularly called), was unofficially tolerated by Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia and Piedmont, and then finally declared official flag in 1847.

See also : Italy

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Politics of Italy."

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Tourism in Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Tourism > Tourism in Italy

Italy is one of the most visited tourist countries at all. There are famous places like Venice, Florence, Siena, Milan, Naples or Rome, each with a rich cultural heritage from the Roman Empire. Famous objects are the ruins of Pompei, the Capitole, vineyards in Tuscany, Sicily with Mt. Etna, the coastline of the Adriatic Sea or the Alps.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Tourism in Italy."

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Transportation in Italy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Transportation in Italy

Railways:

• total: 19,394 km, also on Sardinia and Sicily.
• standard gauge: 18,071 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS) operates 16,014 km of the total standard gauge routes (11,322 km electrified)
• narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 1,211 km 0.950-m gauge (153 km electrified) (1998)

Trenitalia SpA is the passenger and freight transport company of Ferrovie dello Stato.

Italian Railroad Stations (history)

Cities with underground railway systems:

• Milan
• Rome

Highways:

• total: 654,676 km
• paved: 654,676 km (including 6,957 km of expressways)
• unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial traffic, although of limited overall value

City with almost all transport by boat: Venice (public transport by waterbus)

Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural gas 19,400 km

Ports and harbors: Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres (Sardegna), Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice

Merchant marine:

• total: 427 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,971,578 GRT/9,635,770 DWT
• ships by type: bulk 41, cargo 45, chemical tanker 73, combination ore/oil 2, container 20, liquified gas 38, livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 87, roll-on/roll-off 58, short-sea passenger 26, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 16 (1999 est.)

Airports: 136 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:

• total: 97
• over 3,047 m: 5: Malpensa International Airport (Milan/Varese), Linate Airport (Milan), Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport (Rome), ..
• 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
• 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
• 914 to 1,523 m: 31
• under 914 m: 12 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

• total: 39
• 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
• 914 to 1,523 m: 19
• under 914 m: 18 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 3 (1999 est.)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Transportation in Italy."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Italy

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Modern Usage: Italy

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Commercial Usage: Italy

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Image Slideshow: Italy

Photos: Italy More pictures...

Illustrations: Italy More pictures...

Computer Images: Italy More pictures...

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Photo Album: Italy

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Demersal Fisheries: Species living near the bottom are exploited by trawlers. Top: Landings from trawlers in the market of Mazara del Vallo (Sicily), Italy. Bottom: Spanish trawler in the northwestern Mediterranean. Credit: Fisheries.		Littoral Fisheries: Coastal species are exploited by small-scale gear (gill nets , trammel nets, bottom longlines and traps). Top: Small scale gear boat. Acitr ezza (Sicily), Italy. Lower left: Landings of small-scale vessel. Gallipoli ( Gulf of Taranto), Italy. Lower right: Trammelnetters. Porto Cesareo (Gulf of Taranto), Italy. Credit: Fisheries.
	Catania, Sicily, Italy. Credit: Geodesy - Measuring the Earth.		TIROS VII orbit 4569 R/O 7679 image of Italy and Sicily. In: "The Best of TIROS," NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, 1965. Credit: NOAA in Space.
	F-15 takes off from Cervia Air Base, Italy.		Airman Daren Percy, 31st Security Forces Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
	An U.S. F-16 flies towards Rimini, Italy, to join with the Italian air force in a training mission. U.S. Air Forces from the 510th Fighter Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy, and Italian air forces from the 83rd Combat Search and Rescue Squadron, Rimini, It.		Flown by pilots from the German Air Force's 73rd Fighter Squadron, Soviet built MiG-29 Fulcrums, stationed at Laage Air Base, Germany, lineup with F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy. The two teams are about to engage i.
	A German Air Force MiG-29 Fulcrum from the 73rd Fighter Squadron, Laage Air Base, Germany, taxis out with a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 355th FS, Aviano AB, Italy. The 555th is deployed here to learn how to fly against the MiG-29s. (Photo.		09/27/2000 - AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (AFPN) -- Carol DiBattiste, under Secretary of the Air Force signs the re-enlistment papers of Tech. Sgt. Tate Leger of the 31st Maintenance Squadron, here. DiBattiste stopped here to meet with troops and families, and.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Italy
 

"Rieti - Italy" by Jorge Gamito Commentary: "The beautiful mountain of Rieti, near Rome, on a Summer morning."	"Italy Waterway" by Stephanie Raines Commentary: "This was taken in Venice, Italy. This is the famous "Bridge of Sighs"."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Familiar Quotations: Italy

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Historic Usage: Italy

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Use in Literature: Italy

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Non-Fiction Usage: Italy

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Speeches: Italy

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Usage Frequency: Italy

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Derived & Related Names: Italy

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Cities: Italy

INDEX

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