Italy

Location

• Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
• strategic location dominating central Mediterranean, as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Rome	2,318,895	Capital
Milan	1,371,498
Naples	909,048
Turin	847,287
Palermo	648,260
Genoa	580,097
Bologna	394,843
Florence	367,150
Bari	316,491
Catania	311,584

Size

• 116,305 square miles
• 301,230 square kilometers
• almost twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona

History

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 is a charter member of NATO, as well as the European Economic Community (EEC) and its successors, the EC and the EU. It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.

Climate

predominantly Mediterranean; alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

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), Croatian (in Molise)major-language sample(s): L'Almanacco dei fatti del mondo, l'indispensabile fonte per le informazioni di base. (Italian)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Christian 80.8% (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants), Muslim 4.9%, unaffiliated 13.4%, other 0.9% (2020 est.)

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: previous 1848 (originally for the Kingdom of Sardinia and adopted by the Kingdom of Italy in 1861); latest enacted 22 December 1947, adopted 27 December 1947, entered into force 1 January 1948amendment process: proposed by both houses of Parliament; passage requires two successive debates and approval by absolute majority of each house on the second vote; a referendum is only required when requested by one fifth of the members of either house, by voter petition, or by 5 Regional Councils (elected legislative assemblies of the 15 first-level administrative regions and 5 autonomous regions of Italy); referendum not required if an amendment has been approved by a two-thirds majority in each house in the second vote
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25
• Legal System: civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legislation under certain conditions
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Sergio MATTARELLA (since 3 February 2015)head of government: Prime Minister Giorgia MELONI (since 22 October 2022); the prime minister's official title is President of the Council of Ministerscabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, who is known officially as the President of the Council of Ministers and locally as the premier; nominated by the presidentelection/appointment process: president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a 7-year term (no term limits); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by parliamentmost recent election date: 24-29 January 2022 (eight rounds)election results: 2022: Sergio MATTARELLA (independent) reelected president; electoral college vote count in eighth round - 759 out of 1,009 (505 vote threshold)2015: Sergio MATTARELLA (independent) elected president; electoral college vote count in fourth round - 665 out of 995 (505 vote threshold)expected date of next election: 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cassation or Corte Suprema di Cassazione (consists of the first president, deputy president, 54 justices presiding over 6 civil and 7 criminal divisions, and 288 judges; an additional 30 judges of lower courts serve as supporting judges; cases normally heard by 5-judge panels; more complex cases heard by 9-judge panels); Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (consists of the court president and 14 judges)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Council of the Judiciary, headed by the president of the republic; judges may serve for life; Constitutional Court judges - 5 appointed by the president, 5 elected by Parliament, 5 elected by select higher courts; judges serve up to 9 yearssubordinate courts: various lower civil and criminal courts (primary and secondary tribunals and courts of appeal)
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliament (Il Parlamento)legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, core EU economy; strong services, manufacturing, and tourism sectors; modest growth supported by net exports, low inflation, and public investments via EU funds; tight labor market with aging workforce and shortages in specialized skills; high public debt levels
• Budget: revenues: $935.038 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $1.104 trillion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: coal, antimony, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land
• Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
• Agricultural Products: milk, wheat, grapes, tomatoes, maize, olives, apples, oranges, sugar beets, rice (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 44% (2022 est.)arable land: 24% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 8.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 11.9% (2022 est.)forest: 32.7% (2022 est.)other: 23.3% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: natural gas, crude petroleum, cars, packaged medicine, garments (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Germany 15%, France 9%, China 8%, Netherlands 6%, Spain 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: packaged medicine, garments, cars, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Germany 11%, USA 11%, France 10%, Spain 5%, UK 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports