*Israel, Defense Forces
Branches:
Israel Defense Forces (including ground, naval, and air components)
note:
historically, there have been no separate Israeli military services
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,240,757; females age 15-49 1,218,610; males fit for
military service 1,018,212; females fit for military service 996,089; males
reach military age (18) annually 46,131; females reach military age (18)
annually 44,134 (1993 est.); both sexes are liable for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $12.5 billion, 18% of GDP (1993 est.)
*Italy, Geography
Location:
Southern Europe, a peninsula in the central Mediterranean Sea
Map references:
Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
301,230 km2
land area:
294,020 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than Arizona
note:
includes Sardinia and Sicily
Land boundaries:
total 1,899.2 km, Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2
km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km
Coastline:
4,996 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200 m depth or to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
small vocal minority in northern Italy seeks the return of parts of
southwestern Slovenia
Climate:
predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Terrain:
mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Natural resources:
mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil
reserves, fish, coal
Land use:
arable land:
32%
permanent crops:
10%
meadows and pastures:
17%
forest and woodland:
22%
other:
19%
Irrigated land:
31,000 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
regional risks include landslides, mudflows, snowslides, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, flooding, pollution; land sinkage in Venice
Note:
strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea
and air approaches to Western Europe
*Italy, People
Population:
58,018,540 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.2% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
10.65 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
9.66 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
77.43 years
male:
74.22 years
female:
80.85 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.37 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Italian(s)
adjective:
Italian
Ethnic divisions:
Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians
in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south),
Sicilians, Sardinians
Religions:
Roman Catholic 100%
Languages:
Italian, 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:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
97%
male:
98%
female:
96%
Labor force:
23.988 million
by occupation:
services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)
*Italy, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Italian Republic
conventional short form:
Italy
local long form:
Repubblica Italiana
local short form:
Italia
former:
Kingdom of Italy
Digraph:
IT
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)
Constitution:
1 January 1948
Legal system:
based on civil law system, with ecclesiastical law influence; appeals
treated as trials de novo; judicial review under certain conditions in
Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party (DC), Fermo Mino MARTINAZZOLI, general secretary;
Rosa Russo JERVOLINO, president; Socialist Party (PSI), Giorgio BENVENUTO,
party secretary; Social Democratic Party (PSDI), Enrico FERRI, party
secretary; Liberal Party (PLI); Democratic Party of the Left (PDS - was
Communist Party, or PCI, until January 1991), Achille OCCHETTO, secretary
general; Italian Social Movement (MSI), Gianfranco FINI, national secretary;
Republican Party (PRI), Giorgio BOGI, political secretary; Lega Nord
(Northern League), Umberto BOSSI, president; Communist Renewal (RC), Sergio
GARAVINI
Other political or pressure groups:
the Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (CGIL -
formerly Communist dominated, CISL - Christian Democratic, and UIL - Social
Democratic, Socialist, and Republican); Italian manufacturers association
(Confindustria); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum
age is 25)
Elections:
Senate:
last held 5-6 April 1992 (next to be held by April 1997); results - DC
27.3%, PDS 17.0%, PSI 13.6%, Northern Leagues 8.2%, other 33.9%; seats -
(326 total; 315 elected, 11 appointed senators-for-life) DC 107, PDS 64, PSI
49, Leagues 25, other 70
*Italy, Government
Chamber of Deputies:
last held 5-6 April 1992 (next to be held by April 1997); results - DC
29.7%, PDS 16.1%, PSI 13.6%, Northern Leagues 8.7%, RC 5.6%, MSI 5.4%, PRI
4.4%, PLI 2.8%, PSDI 2.7%, other 11%; seats - (630 total) DC 206, PDS 107,
PSI 92, Northern Leagues 55, RC 35, MSI 34, PRI 27, PLI 17, PSDI 16, other
41
Executive branch:
president, prime minister (president of the Council of Ministers)
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) consists of an upper chamber or Senate of
the Republic (Senato della Repubblica) and a lower chamber or Chamber of
Deputies (Camera dei Deputati)
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (29 April 1993)
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group, AsDB, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional),
CE, CEI, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-7, G-10,
GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IEA, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),
LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOMOZ, UNTSO, UPU,
WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Boris BIANCHERI CHIAPPORI
chancery:
1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington DC 20009
telephone:
(202) 328-5500
consulates general:
Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San
Francisco
consulates:
Detroit, New Orleans, and Newark (New Jersey)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
(vacant)
embassy:
Via Veneto 119/A, 00187, Rome
mailing address:
PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
telephone:
[39] (6) 46741
FAX:
[39] (6) 488-2672
consulates general:
Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Palermo (Sicily)
Flag:
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