Imports—commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages and tobacco
Imports—partners: Germany 18.0%, France 13.2%, UK 6.7%,
Netherlands 6.2%, US 5.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4.7% (1997)
Debt—external: $45 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $1.6 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1—1,688.7 (January
1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9
(1995), 1,612.4 (1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and 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
Communications
Telephones: 25.6 million (1996 est.)
Telephone system: 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