Chapter XXVIII: Front Matter (28)

Economy - overview:
Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has
traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In
the 1980s financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the
eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran
led the government to implement austerity measures, borrow heavily,
and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic
losses from the war of at least $100 billion. After hostilities
ended in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction
of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Iraq's
seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic
sanctions, and damage from military action by an international
coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically reduced economic
activity. Although government policies supporting large military and
internal security forces and allocating resources to key supporters
of the regime have hurt the economy, implementation of the UN's
oil-for-food program beginning in December 1996 helped improve
conditions for the average Iraqi citizen. Iraq was allowed to export
limited amounts of oil in exchange for food, medicine, and some
infrastructure spare parts. In December 1999 the UN Security Council
authorized Iraq to export under the program as much oil as required
to meet humanitarian needs. Oil exports have recently been more than
three-quarters prewar level. However, 28% of Iraq's export revenues
under the program have been deducted to meet UN Compensation Fund
and UN administrative expenses. The drop in GDP in 2001-02 was
largely the result of the global economic slowdown and lower oil
prices. Per capita food imports increased significantly, while
medical supplies and health care services steadily improved. Per
capita output and living standards were still well below the prewar
level, but any estimates have a wide range of error. The military
victory of the US-led coalition in March-April 2003 resulted in the
shutdown of much of the central economic administrative structure
and the loss of a comparatively small amount of capital plant.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $58 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 13%
services: 81% (1993 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
70% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
6.5 million (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries:
petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food
processing

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
36.01 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 98.4%
hydro: 1.6%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
33.49 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
2.452 million bbl/day (2001 est.); note - production was disrupted
as a result of the March-April 2003 war (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
460,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
113.8 billion bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
2.76 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
2.76 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
3.149 trillion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep

Exports:
$13 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil

Exports - partners:
US 40.9%, Canada 8.2%, France 8.2%, Jordan 7.5%, Netherlands 6.4%,
Italy 5.4%, Morocco 4.7%, Spain 4.4% (2002)

Imports:
$7.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, medicine, manufactures

Imports - partners:
Jordan 11%, France 8.8%, China 8.4%, Germany 7.6%, Russia 7.3%,
Australia 7.2%, Vietnam 6.6%, Italy 6.4%, Japan 5.6% (2002)

Debt - external:
$120 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$327.5 million (1995)

Currency:
Iraqi dinar (IQD)

Currency code:
IQD

Exchange rates:
Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 0.31 (2002), 0.31 (2001), 0.31 (2000),
0.31 (1999), 0.31 (1998), note: fixed official rate since 1982;
market rate subject to wide fluctuations

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Iraq

Telephones - main lines in use:
675,000 (1997); note - an unknown number of telephone lines were
damaged or destroyed during the March-April war

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA; service available in northern Iraq (2001)

Telephone system:
general assessment: an unknown number of telecommunication
facilities were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio
relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region),
and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay
to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably
nonoperational

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 19 (5 are inactive), FM 51, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
4.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
13 (1997); note - unknown number were destroyed during the
March-April 2003 war

Televisions:
1.75 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.iq

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
12,500 (2001)

Transportation Iraq

Railways:
total: 1,963 km
standard gauge: 1,963 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 45,550 km
paved: 38,399 km
unpaved: 7,151 km (2000 est.)

Waterways:
1,015 km
note: Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for
about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use; Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft
boats; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft
before closing in 1991 because of the Gulf war

Pipelines:
gas 1,739 km; oil 5,418 km; refined products 1,343 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality

Merchant marine:
total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 119,433 GRT/170,221 DWT
ships by type: cargo 9, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 6, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
150 (2002); note - unknown number were damaged during the
March-April 2003 war

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 77
over 3,047 m: 21
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 9 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 73
under 914 m: 11 (2002)
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24

Heliports:
5 (2002)

Military Iraq

Military branches:
Army, Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border
Guard Force, Fedayeen Saddam; note - with the defeat of Saddam
Hussein's regime in 2003, the data listed in the following entries
for Iraq is invalid, but is retained here for historical purposes
and until replaced by valid information related to the future Iraqi
Government (April 2003)

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 6,339,458 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,541,467 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 292,930 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.3 billion (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA%

Transnational Issues Iraq

Disputes - international:
despite restored diplomatic relations in 1990, disputes with Iran
over maritime and land boundaries, navigation channel, and other
issues from eight-year war persist; land and Shatt al Arab boundary
demarcation put an end to claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah
islands, but no maritime boundary exists with Kuwait in the Persian
Gulf; Iraq protests Turkey's hydrological projects to regulate the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers upstream

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Ireland

Introduction Ireland

Background:
Celtic tribes settled on the island in the 4th century B.C.
Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were
finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014.
English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than
seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions
and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched
off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in
independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern
(Ulster) counties remained part of the United Kingdom. In 1948
Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the
European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the
peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain
against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland,
known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is
currently being implemented.

Geography Ireland

Location:
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in
the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Geographic coordinates:
53 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 70,280 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: UK 360 km

Coastline:
1,448 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild
winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the
time

Terrain:
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills
and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m

Natural resources:
zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone,
dolomite, peat, silver

Land use:
arable land: 19.49%
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 80.47% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
strategic location on major air and sea routes between North
America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides
within 97 km of Dublin

People Ireland

Population:
3,924,140 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.2% (male 427,017; female 404,191)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 1,322,982; female 1,322,429)
65 years and over: 11.4% (male 194,724; female 252,797) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.1 years
male: 32.2 years
female: 34 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.03% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
14.63 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
7.94 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
3.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.95 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.35 years
male: 74.58 years
female: 80.31 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.89 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,400 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish

Ethnic groups:
Celtic, English

Religions:
Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998)

Languages:
English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken
mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1981 est.)
male: NA
female: NA

Government Ireland

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Dublin

Administrative divisions:
26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway,
Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth,
Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary,
Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province

Independence:
6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

National holiday:
Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Constitution:
29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite

Legal system:
based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous
concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination
by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives
election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote -
Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%
note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive
Democrats
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA November
2004); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and
appointed by the president

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad
Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the universities and from
candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated
by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House
of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected
by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
five-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive
Democrats 4, independents and others 6; House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor
Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party
3.8%, others 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31,
Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5,
others 14
elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held
by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002
(next to be held by May 2007)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of
the prime minister and cabinet)

Political parties and leaders:
Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party
[Trevor SARGENT]; Labor Party [Pat RABITTE]; Progressive Democrats
[Mary HARNEY]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe
HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC,
NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNMOP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Noel FAHEY; note - FAHEY has announced
that he will leave
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard J. EGAN
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [353] (1) 668-8777
FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and
orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and
has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green;
also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors
of green (hoist side), white, and red

Economy Ireland

Economy - overview:
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth
averaging a robust 8% in 1995-2002. The global slowdown, especially
in the information technology sector, pressed growth down to 2.7% in
2003. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by
industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP and about
80% of exports and employs 28% of the labor force. Although exports
remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also
benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and
business investment. Per capita GDP is 10% above that of the four
big European economies. Over the past decade, the Irish Government
has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to
curb inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force
skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in launching
the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU
nations.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $113.7 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.9% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $29,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 46%
services: 49% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
10% (1997 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 27.3% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.9 (1987)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.6% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
1.8 million (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 8%, industry 29%, services 64% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.3% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $30.7 billion
expenditures: $30.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.5
billion (2002)

Industries:
food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and
crystal; software

Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
23.53 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 95.9%
hydro: 2.3%
other: 1.7% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
21.63 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
285 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
38 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
174,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
27,450 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
178,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
815 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
4.199 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
3.384 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
9.911 billion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products

Exports:
$86.6 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
live animals, animal products (1999)

Exports - partners:
UK 23.3%, US 16.7%, Belgium 14.6%, Germany 7.3%, France 5% (2002)

Imports:
$48.6 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment,
chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

Imports - partners:
UK 41.1%, US 15.3%, Germany 6.8% (2002)

Debt - external:
$11 billion (1998)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $283 million (2001)

Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94
(1999), 0.7 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Ireland

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.6 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave
radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
2.55 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
1.82 million (2001)

Internet country code:
.ie

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2000)

Internet users:
1.31 million (2002)

Transportation Ireland

Railways:
total: 3,312 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat
Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants)
(2002)

Highways:
total: 92,500 km
paved: 87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,457 km (2000 est.)

Waterways:
700 km (limited facilities for commercial traffic) (1998)

Pipelines:
gas 1,795 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross,
Waterford

Merchant marine:
total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 110,913 GRT/128,017 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Germany 2 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 20, container 1, short-sea passenger 1

Airports:
36 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 6 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 17 (2002)

Military Ireland

Military branches:
Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police
(Garda Siochana)

Military manpower - military age:
17 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,020,182 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 821,378 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 31,437 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$700 million (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (FY00/01)

Transnational Issues Ireland

Disputes - international:
disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and the UK over the Faroe Islands
continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa
to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs;
minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for
Western Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Israel

Introduction Israel

Background:
Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of
Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish
states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the
Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the
deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by
Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country
profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew
from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.
Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved
in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition,
on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon,
which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework
established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral
negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian
representatives (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip)
and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. But progress toward a
permanent status agreement has been undermined by the outbreak of
Palestinian-Israeli violence since September 2000.

Geography Israel

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and
Lebanon

Geographic coordinates:
31 30 N, 34 45 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 20,770 sq km
water: 440 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:
total: 1,017 km
border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km,
Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Coastline:
273 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Terrain:
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains;
Jordan Rift Valley

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m

Natural resources:
timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium
bromide, clays, sand

Land use:
arable land: 17.02%
permanent crops: 4.17%
other: 78.81% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
1,990 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic
earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious
constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and
vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and
domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life
Conservation

Geography - note:
there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in
the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the
Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.); Sea of
Galilee is an important freshwater source

People Israel

Population:
6,116,533 (July 2002 est.)
note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank,
about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, more than 5,000
in the Gaza Strip, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem
(February 2003 est.) (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.9% (male 842,885; female 803,864)
15-64 years: 63.2% (male 1,941,440; female 1,922,512)
65 years and over: 9.9% (male 260,315; female 345,517) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 28.9 years
male: 28.1 years
female: 29.8 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.39% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
18.67 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
6.2 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.37 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 8.14 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.02 years
male: 76.95 years
female: 81.19 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,400 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli

Ethnic groups:
Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%,
Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab)
(1996 est.)

Religions:
Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%,
other 3.2% (1996 est.)

Languages:
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,
English most commonly used foreign language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.4%
male: 97.3%
female: 93.6% (2003 est.)

Government Israel

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local short form: Yisra'el
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in
1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its
Embassy in Tel Aviv

Administrative divisions:
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem,
Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Independence:
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared
independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and
the holiday may occur in April or May

Constitution:
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are
filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of
the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law

Legal system:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in
personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in
December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no
longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Moshe KATSAV (since 31 July 2000)
elections: president elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term;
election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2007); following
legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member -
traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming
a governing coalition; election last held 28 January 2003 (next to
be held fall of 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 7 March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset
election results: Moshe KATSAV elected president by the 120-member
Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES,
received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON
continues as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January
2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition
government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the
National Union

Legislative branch:
unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next to be held fall of 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - Likud Party 29.4%,
Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%, National Union 5.5%, Meretz
5.2%, United Torah Judaism 4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%,
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%,
National Democratic Alliance 2.3%, YBA 2.2%, United Arab List 2.1%,
Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut 1.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party -
Likud 38, Labor 19, Shinui 15, Shas 11, National Union 7, Meretz 6,
National Religious Party 6, United Torah Judaism 5, Democratic Front
for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3, National Democratic Alliance
3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)

Political parties and leaders:
Center Party [Dan MERIDOR]; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality
(Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA]; Democratic Movement [Roman BRONFMAN];
Gesher [David LEVI]; Green Leaf Party [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi
SANDAK]; Herut [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party [Binyamin
BEN-ELIEZER]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meimad [Rabbi Michael
MELCHIOR]; Meretz [Yossi SARID]; National Democratic Alliance
(Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVY];
National Union [Benyamin ELON] (includes Tekuma and Moledet); One
Israel [Ra'anan COHEN]; One Nation [Amir PERETZ]; Shas [Eliyahu
YISHAI]; Shinui [Tommy LAPID]; United Arab List [Abd al-Malik
DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Meir PORUSH]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or
YBA [Natan SHARANSKY]; Yisra'el Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank
and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler
interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors
human rights abuses

International organization participation:
BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER
embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830
telephone: [972] (3) 519-7457/7369/7454/7458/7453
FAX: [972] (3) 517-4390
consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission,
established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign
government

Flag description:
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the
Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal
blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag

Economy Israel

Economy - overview:
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with
substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude
oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited
natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural
and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel imports
significant quantities of grain but is largely self-sufficient in
other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology
equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the
leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account
deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad
and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt
is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and
military aid. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR
during the period 1989-99, coupled with the opening of new markets
at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew
rapidly in the early 1990s; growth began moderating in 1996 when the
government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the
immigration bonus petered out. Growth was a strong 7.2% in 2000, but
the bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict, difficulties in the
high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors, and fiscal
austerity in the face of growing inflation led to small declines in
GDP in 2001 and 2002.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $117.4 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-0.8% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $19,500 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 30%
services: 67% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
18% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 28.3% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.5 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.7% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
2.5 million (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
public services 31.2%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business
13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other
services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%,
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)

Unemployment rate:
10.4% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $38.5 billion
expenditures: $45.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2002 est.)

Industries:
high-technology projects (including aviation, communications,
computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics), wood
and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and
tobacco, caustic soda, cement, diamond cutting

Industrial production growth rate:
-1.5% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
42.24 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.9%
hydro: 0.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
37.82 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.457 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
80 bbl/day NA bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
260,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
1.92 million bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
10 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
10 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
20.81 billion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products

Exports:
$28.1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural
products, chemicals, textiles and apparel

Exports - partners:
US 39.2%, Belgium 6.5%, Germany 4.4%, UK 4.2% (2002)

Imports:
$30.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough
diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
US 21.6%, Belgium 8.9%, Germany 6.7%, UK 6.6%, Switzerland 4.9%,
Italy 4.5% (2002)

Debt - external:
$42.8 billion (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$720 million from US (2001 est.)

Currency:
new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation;
ILS is the International Organization for Standarization (ISO) code
for the NIS

Currency code:
ILS

Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.74 (2002), 4.21 (2001), 4.08
(2000), 4.14 (1999), 3.8 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Israel

Telephones - main lines in use:
2.8 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.5 million (1999)

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
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.69 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.il

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
21 (2000)

Internet users:
1.94 million (2001)

Transportation Israel

Railways:
total: 640 km
standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 16,281 km
paved: 16,281 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000)

Waterways:
none

Pipelines:
gas 100 km; oil 1,509 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo

Merchant marine:
total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 705,897 GRT/823,605 DWT
ships by type: container 17, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
52 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 24
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 20 (2002)

Heliports:
3 (2002)

Military Israel

Military branches:
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (includes ground, naval, and air
components with Air Defense Forces), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal);
note - historically there have been no separate Israeli military
services

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,562,716
note: both sexes are liable for military service (2003 est.)
females age 15-49: 1,516,505

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,279,277
females age 15-49: 1,237,926 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 51,080
females: 53,496 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$8.97 billion (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
8.75% (FY02)

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; Golan Heights
is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan
Heights)

Illicit drugs:
increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive
in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Italy

Introduction Italy

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, organized crime, corruption,
high unemployment, 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: 301,230 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
water: 7,210 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries:
total: 1,932.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km

Coastline:
7,600 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM

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:
mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, natural gas and crude oil
reserves, fish, coal, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 28.07%
permanent crops: 9.25%
other: 62.68% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
26,980 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as
southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

People Italy

Population:
57,998,353 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14% (male 4,193,412; female 3,947,679)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 19,625,428; female 19,337,861)
65 years and over: 18.8% (male 4,516,995; female 6,376,978) (2003
est.)

Median age:
total: 41 years
male: 39.4 years
female: 42.6 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
0.11% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
9.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
10.12 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 6.82 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.4 years
male: 76.47 years
female: 82.52 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.26 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
100,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2001 est.)

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:
predominately Roman Catholic with 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: 98.6%
male: 99%
female: 98.3% (2003 est.)

Government Italy

Country name:
conventional long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
former: Kingdom of Italy
local short form: Italia

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 1870)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 June (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)
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
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the
president of the Council of Ministers) Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 10
June 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the president
election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected president; percent of
electoral college vote - 70%
note: a five-party government coalition includes Forza Italia,
National Alliance, Northern League, Democratic Christian Center,
United Christian Democrats

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; 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 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - House of Liberties 177 (Forza Italia 82, National Alliance
46, CCD-CDU 29, Northern League 17, others 3), Olive Tree 128
(Democrats of the Left 62, Daisy Alliance 42, Sunflower Alliance 16,
Italian Communist Party 3, independents 5), non-affiliated with
either coalition 10, senators for life 9; Chamber of Deputies -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - House of Liberties
367 (Forza Italia 189, National Alliance 96, CCD-CDU 40, Northern
League 30, others 12), Olive Tree 248 (Democrats of the Left 138,
Daisy Alliance 76, Sunflower Alliance 18, Italian Communist Party 9,
independents 7), non-affiliated with either coalition 15

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-Left Olive Tree Coalition [Francesco RUTELLI] - Democrats of
the Left, Daisy Alliance (including Italian Popular Party, Italian
Renewal, Union of Democrats for Europe, The Democrats), Sunflower
Alliance (including Green Federation, Italian Democratic
Socialists), Italian Communist Party; Center-Right Freedom House
Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI] (formerly House of Liberties and
Freedom Alliance) - Forza Italia, National Alliance, The Whiteflower
Alliance (includes Christian Democratic Center, United Christian
Democrats), Northern League; Christian Democratic Center or CCD
[Marco FOLLINI]; Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO]; Forza
Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; Green Federation [Alfonso Pecoraro
SCANIO]; Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Armando COSSUTTA]; Italian
Popular Party or PPI [Pierluigi CASTAGNETTI]; Italian Renewal or RI
[Lamberto DINI]; Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI];
Socialist Movement-Tricolor Flame or MS-Fiamma [Pino RAUTI];
National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Northern League or NL
[Umberto BOSSI]; Southern Tyrols People's Party or SVP (German
speakers) [Siegfried BRUGGER]; Sunflower Alliance (includes Green
Federation, Italian Social Democrats); The Daisy Alliance (includes
Italian Popular Party, Italian Renewal, Union of Democrats for
Europe, The Democrats); The Democrats [Arturo PARISI]; The Radicals
(formerly Pannella Reformers and Autonomous List) [Marco PANNELLA];
The Whiteflower Alliance (includes Christian Democratic Center,
United Christian Democrats); Union of Democrats for Europe or UDEUR
[Clemente MASTELLA]; United Christian Democrats or CDU [Rocco
BUTTIGLIONE]

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 [Savino PEZZOTTA], which is Roman
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), CDB, CE, CEI,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8,
G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, 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, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sergio VENTO
consulate(s): Detroit
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151
telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400
chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER
embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 119/A, 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;
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: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in
1797

Economy Italy

Economy - 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, welfare-dependent
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. The
current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at
improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved
slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as
lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor
market and over-generous pension system, because of the current
economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.455 trillion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
0.4% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $25,100 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.4%
industry: 30%
services: 67.6% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
27.3 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
23.6 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
services 63%, industry 32%, agriculture 5% (2001)

Unemployment rate:
9.1% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $504 billion
expenditures: $517 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate:
-2.8% (2002)

Electricity - production:
258.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 78.6%
hydro: 18.4%
other: 3% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
289.1 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
556 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
48.93 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
79,460 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.866 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
456,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
2.158 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
586.6 million bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
15.49 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
71.18 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
61 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
54.78 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
209.7 billion cu m (37257)

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

Exports:
$259.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
Germany 13.7%, France 12.2%, US 9.8%, UK 6.9%, Spain 6.4% (2002)

Imports:
$238.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
Germany 17.8%, France 11.3%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 5%, US 4.9%,
Spain 4.6%, Belgium 4.4% (2002)

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.)

Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94
(1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Italy

Telephones - main lines in use:
25 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
20.5 million (1999)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated
telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total
of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine
cables

Radio broadcast stations:
AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios:
50.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
30.3 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.it

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)

Internet users:
19.25 million (2001)

Transportation Italy

Railways:
total: 19,493 km
standard gauge: 18,090 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 88 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified); 1,315 km
0.950-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2002)

Highways:
total: 479,688 km
paved: 479,688 km (including 6,621 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)

Waterways:
2,400 km
note: serves various types of commercial traffic, although of
limited overall value (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 17,448 km; oil 1,245 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La Spezia,
Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres (Sardinia),
Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice (2001)

Merchant marine:
total: 462 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 8,518,900 GRT/9,963,040 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Croatia 1, Denmark 4, France 1, Greece 3, Man, Isle of
1, Monaco 7, Netherlands 6, Norway 1, Panama 2, Spain 1, Switzerland
1, Taiwan 15, Turkey 1, UK 6, US 12 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 43, cargo 39, chemical tanker 98, combination
ore/oil 5, container 28, liquefied gas 39, multi-functional
large-load carrier 1, passenger 14, petroleum tanker 67,
refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 60, short-sea passenger 32,
specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 22

Airports:
134 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 96
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 12 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 18 (2002)

Heliports:
4 (2002)

Military Italy

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 14,450,147 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,349,356 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 291,529 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$20.2 billion (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.64% (2002)

Transnational Issues Italy