General background: Italy became a nation-state
in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along
with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor
EMMANUEL. An era of parliamentary government came to
a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established
a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous 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 European Monetary Union in
1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration,
the ravages of organized crime, corruption, high unemployment,
and the low incomes and technical standards of southern
Italy compared with the prosperous north.
Area
comparative: Slightly larger than Arizona
Climate: Predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine
in far north; hot, dry in south
Terrain:
Mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal
lowlands
Population: 57,715,625 (July 2002 est.)
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: Predominately Roman Catholic with
mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing
Muslim immigrant community.
Language: 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).
Government type: Republic
Capital: Rome
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.
Economic overview: Italy has a diversified
industrial economy with roughly the same total and
per capita output as France and the UK. 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. 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. Rome has moved slowly, however, on implementing
needed structural reforms, such as lightening the
high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor
market and expensive pension system, because of the
current economic slowdown and opposition from labor
unions.
Communication/Telephone system: Modern, well
developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex,
and data services.
Places of interest: Italy's three millennia
of history, culture and cuisine seduce just about
everyone. In Italy you can visit Roman ruins, gawk
at Renaissance art, stay in tiny medieval hill towns,
go skiing in the Alps, explore the canals of Venice
and see more beautiful churches than you imagined
could exist in one country.
Travel tips:
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