Chapter XXXII: Front Matter (32)

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)
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)
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 other 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%, other 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31,
Labor Party 21, Sinn Fein 5, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6,
other 14

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 RABBITTE]; Progressive Democrats
[Michael McDOWELL]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe
HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU,
WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. FOLEY
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 6% in 1995-2006. Agriculture, once the most important
sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts
for 46% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and 29% 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 and the second highest in
the EU behind Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish Government
has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to
curb price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase
labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined
in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU
nations.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$177.2 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$202.9 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.2% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$43,600 (2006 est.)

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

Labor force:
2.12 million (2006 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
4.3% (2006 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 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.9% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
28% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $74.49 billion
expenditures: $73.05 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.5
billion (2006 est.)

Public debt:
22.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

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

Industries:
steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining
processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals,
pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment, passenger
and commercial vehicles, ship construction and refurbishment; glass
and crystal; software, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
23.26 billion kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
23.23 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
1.6 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
182,400 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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

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

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
855 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
4.295 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
3.44 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
19.82 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$-9.45 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$119.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
US 18.7%, UK 17.4%, Belgium 15.2%, Germany 7.4%, France 6.4%,
Netherlands 4.8% (2005)

Imports:
$87.36 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
UK 37.1%, US 13.8%, Germany 9.2%, Netherlands 4.5% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$842.5 million (August 2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.392 trillion (30 June 2006)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $607 million (2004)

Currency (code):
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 - 0.79987 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Ireland

Telephones - main lines in use:
2.033 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.21 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave
radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: country code - 353; 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 hosts:
238,191 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2000)

Internet users:
2.06 million (2005)

Transportation Ireland

Airports:
36 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 6 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 17 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 1,728 km (2006)

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)
(2005)

Roadways:
total: 96,602 km
paved: 96,602 km (including 200 km of expressways) (2003)

Waterways:
753 km (pleasure craft only) (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 23 ships (1000 GRT or over) 103,589 GRT/145,044 DWT
by type: cargo 19, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 4 (Germany 2, US 2)
registered in other countries: 21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Cyprus 3,
Gibraltar 1, Netherlands 10, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 1, UK 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Cork, Dublin, New Ross, Shannon Foynes, Waterford

Military Ireland

Military branches:
Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval
Service and Air Corps) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service; enlistees under the
age of 17 can be recruited for specialist positions (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 17-49: 977,092
females age 17-49: 978,465 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 17-49: 814,768
females age 17-49: 813,981 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 29,327
females age 17-49: 28,139 (2005 est.)

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

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

Transnational Issues Ireland

Disputes - international:
Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe
Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 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; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money
laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies
involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Isle of Man

Introduction Isle of Man

Background:
Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th
century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the
British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost
extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown
dependency, but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government
remains constitutionally responsible for defense and international
representation.

Geography Isle of Man

Location:
Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and
Ireland

Geographic coordinates:
54 15 N, 4 30 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
160 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate:
temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third
of the time

Terrain:
hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m

Natural resources:
none

Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland)
(2002)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air
pollution

Geography - note:
one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a
bird sanctuary

People Isle of Man

Population:
75,441 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.3% (male 6,669/female 6,350)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 24,884/female 24,678)
65 years and over: 17% (male 5,197/female 7,663) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.6 years
male: 38.4 years
female: 41 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.52% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
11.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
11.19 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
5.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.49 years
male: 75.14 years
female: 82.02 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx

Ethnic groups:
Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton

Religions:
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society
of Friends

Languages:
English, Manx Gaelic

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Isle of Man

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man

Dependency status:
British crown dependency

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Douglas
geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 28 W
time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined
by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with
its own elections

Independence:
none (British crown dependency)

National holiday:
Tynwald Day, 5 July

Constitution:
unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not
embody the unwritten Manx Constitution

Legal system:
English common law and Manx statute

Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS
(since 17 October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December
2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed
by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected
by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held
December 2008)
election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief
minister by the Tynwald

Legislative branch:
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (an 11-member
body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor
and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and eight others named by the
House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be
held November 2011)
election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Man Labor Party 1,
independents 21

Judicial branch:
High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord
Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin Party [Peter
KARRAN]; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin) (branch
of the British National Party)
note: most members sit as independents

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (British crown dependency)

Flag description:
red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center;
the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in
order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag,
a two-sided emblem is used

Economy Isle of Man

Economy - overview:
Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the
economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology
companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this
has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income
industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays
of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. The Isle of
Man also attracts online gambling sites and the film industry. Trade
is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU
markets.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.113 billion (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.26 billion (2003)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.3% (2003)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$27,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
39,690 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing 3%,
construction 10%, transport and communication 11%, wholesale and
retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 10%,
public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%,
entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10%

Unemployment rate:
0.6% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $485 million
expenditures: $463 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY00/01 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Industries:
financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (FY96/97)

Exports:
$NA

Exports - commodities:
tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb

Exports - partners:
UK (2004)

Imports:
$NA

Imports - commodities:
timber, fertilizers, fish

Imports - partners:
UK (2004)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA

Currency (code):
British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound

Currency code:
GBP

Exchange rates:
Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.54413 (2006), 0.55 (2005), 0.5462
(2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Isle of Man

Telephones - main lines in use:
51,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite
earth station, submarine cable

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)

Televisions:
27,490 (1999)

Internet country code:
.im

Internet hosts:
290 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Isle of Man

Airports:
1 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)

Railways:
total: 65 km
standard guage: 7 km 1.067-m guage (7 km electrified)
narrow guage: 58 km 0.914-m guage (29 km electrified)
note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006)

Roadways:
total: 800 km
paved: 800 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 305 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,266,229 GRT/13,792,927 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 65, chemical tanker 53, container
16, liquefied gas 38, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 74,
refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 1,
vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 213 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 53, Estonia 2, France 2,
Germany 56, Greece 45, Italy 5, Japan 4, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1,
Norway 27, Singapore 7, Sweden 1, Turkey 3, US 3)
registered in other countries: 9 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Liberia 5,
Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Castletown, Douglas, Ramsey

Military Isle of Man

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Isle of Man

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@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 Israel occupied
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. Israel and
Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of
Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim
period of Palestinian self-rule. 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 and Syria to achieve
a permanent settlement. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in
conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the
lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict
by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two
states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward
a permanent status agreement was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian
violence between September 2003 and February 2005. An
Israeli-Palestinian agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February
2005, along with an internally-brokered Palestinian ceasefire,
significantly reduced the violence. In the summer of 2005, Israel
unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and
its military. The election of HAMAS in January 2006 to head the
Palestinian Legislative Council froze relations between Israel and
the Palestinian Authority. Ehud OLMERT became prime minister in
March 2006; following an Israeli military operation in Gaza in
June-July 2006, he shelved plans to unilaterally evacuate from most
of the West Bank. The kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Lebanese
Hizballah led to a 34-day conflict in Lebanon in June-August 2006.

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
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 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:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

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: 15.45%
permanent crops: 3.88%
other: 80.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:
1,940 sq km (2003)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: 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, 0 in the
Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2005 est.); Sea of
Galilee is an important freshwater source

People Israel

Population:
6,352,117
note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank,
about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than
177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.3% (male 855,054/female 815,619)
15-64 years: 63.9% (male 2,044,135/female 2,016,647)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 266,671/female 353,991) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 29.6 years
male: 28.8 years
female: 30.5 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.18% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
17.97 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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 (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.61 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.46 years
male: 77.33 years
female: 81.7 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,000 (1999 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli

Ethnic groups:
Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born
22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly
Arab) (2004)

Religions:
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian
0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)

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 long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Jerusalem
geographic coordinates: 32 05 N, 34 48 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends the
Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
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 KATZAV (since 31 July 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT (since May 2006);
Deputy Prime Minister Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI (since May 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset
elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by
the Knesset for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last
held 28 March 2006 (next to be held in 2010, but can be called
earlier); following legislative elections, the president assigns a
Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the
task of forming a governing coalition
election results: Moshe KATZAV elected president by the 120-member
Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES,
received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ehud OLMERT won
the right to lead the government when his Kadima Party won 29 seats
in elections held on 28 March 2006; in May 2006 OLMERT formed a
coalition government with the Labor, GIL (Pensioners), and SHAS
parties. In October 2006 the Yisrael Beiteinu party joined the
government

Legislative branch:
unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in
2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 22%, Labor
15.1%, Likud 9%, SHAS 9.5%, Yisrael Beiteinu 9%, NU/NRP 7.1%, GIL
5.9%, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 4.7%, Meretz-YAHAD 3.8%, United Arab
List 3%, Balad 2.3%, HADASH 2.7%; seats by party - Kadima 29, Labor
19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP 9, GIL 7, Torah
and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab List 4, Balad 3,
HADASH 3

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection Committee -
made up of all three branches of the government; mandatory
retirement age is 70)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (HADASH) [Muhammad BARAKA];
GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael EITAN]; Kadima [Ehud OLMERT]; Labor Party
[Amir PERETZ]; Likud Party [Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-YAHAD [Yossi
BEILIN]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA];
National Union (NU)/National Religious Party (NRP) [Binyamin ELON];
SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah and Shabbat Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN];
United Arab List [Ibrahim SARSOUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor
LIEBERMAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank
and Gaza Strip; Peace Now [Yariv OPPENHEIMER, Secretary
General]supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip; Yesha Council of Settlements [Bentzi LIEBERMAN, Chairman]
promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise;
B'Tselem monitors human rights abuses

International organization participation:
BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE
(partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES
embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903
mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830
telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575
FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390
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, though diminishing, 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 substantial 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 trade 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 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. The economy
rebounded in 2003-05, growing at a 4% rate each year, as the
government tightened fiscal policy and implemented structural
reforms to boost competition and efficiency in the markets. The
conflict with Lebanon in summer 2006 dampened slightly GDP growth
estimates for the year, but continuing strong foreign investment,
tax revenue, and private consumption levels helped the economy
recover quickly.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$166.3 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$121.6 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.8% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$26,200 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.6%
industry: 30.8%
services: 66.6% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
2.6 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 1.8%, manufacturing 1.8%,
construction 5.3%, wholesale and retail trade 15.7%, transport,
storage, and communications 6.3%, finance and business 5.3%,
personal and other services 11.5%, public services 28.6% (1996)

Unemployment rate:
8.5% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
22.6% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 32% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34 (2005)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.9% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $47.57 billion
expenditures: $49.57 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
91% of GDP (2006 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate:
4.7% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
46.07 billion kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
41.38 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
1.47 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
3,209 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
248,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
1.92 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
780 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
780 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
38.94 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$1.463 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$42.86 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
US 36.5%, Belgium 8.7%, Hong Kong 5.6% (2005)

Imports:
$47.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
US 13.4%, Belgium 10.1%, Germany 6.4%, UK 5.7%, Switzerland 5.5%,
China 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$28.2 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$81.98 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$240 million from US (FY06)

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

Currency code:
ILS

Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.5 (2006), 4.4877 (2005),
4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Israel

Telephones - main lines in use:
2,936,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.757 million (2005)

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: country code - 972; 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 hosts:
1,251,881 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
21 (2000)

Internet users:
3.7 million (2006)

Transportation Israel

Airports:
53 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 30
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 6 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 20 (2006)

Heliports:
3 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 193 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 853 km
standard gauge: 853 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 17,446 km
paved: 17,446 km (including 144 km of expressways) (2004)

Merchant marine:
total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 716,382 GRT/845,053 DWT
by type: cargo 2, container 16
registered in other countries: 51 (Bahamas 1, Bermuda 3, Cyprus 3,
Honduras 1, Liberia 5, Malta 23, Panama 6, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 2, Slovakia 7) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa

Military Israel

Military branches:
Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Army Headquarters, Israel Navy,
Israeli Air and Space Force (ISAF, includes air defense forces);
historically there have been no separate Israeli military services
(2005)

Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary
(Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are
eligible for military service; conscript service obligation - 36
months for men, 21 months for women (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 17-49: 1,492,125
females age 17-49: 1,443,916 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 17-49: 1,255,902
females age 17-49: 1,212,394 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 53,760
females: 51,293 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$9.45 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
7.7% (2005 est.)

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; Israel
continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along
parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew
its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four
settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is
Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan
Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor
ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated
incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the
region

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 150,000-420,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in
northern Israel) (2006)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Israel is a destination country for low-skilled
workers from Eastern Europe and Asia who migrate voluntarily for
contract labor in the construction, agriculture, and health care
industries, some of whom are subsequently subjected to conditions of
involuntary servitude; many labor recruitment agencies in source
countries and in Israel require workers to pay large up-front fees
that often lead to debt bondage and vulnerability to forced labor;
Israel is also a destination country for women trafficked from
Eastern Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Israel is placed on the Tier 2
Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts
to address trafficking, namely the conditions of involuntary
servitude allegedly facing thousands of foreign migrant workers

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

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Italy

Introduction Italy

Background:
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 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 Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime,
corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, 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
land: 294,020 sq km
water: 7,210 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

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:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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:
coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice,
fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil
reserves, fish, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 26.41%
permanent crops: 9.09%
other: 64.5% (2005)

Irrigated land:
27,500 sq km (2003)

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

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

People Italy

Population:
58,133,509 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,147,149/female 3,899,980)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 19,530,512/female 19,105,841)
65 years and over: 19.7% (male 4,771,858/female 6,678,169) (2006
est.)

Median age:
total: 42.2 years
male: 40.7 years
female: 43.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.04% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
8.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.42 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.81 years
male: 76.88 years
female: 82.94 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
140,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 1,000 (2003 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:
approximately 90% Roman Catholic (about one-third regularly attend
services); 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
local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Rome
geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions*
(regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo,
Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia
Giulia*, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise,
Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia),
Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige* (Trentino-South
Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto

Independence:
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally
unified until 1870)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Constitution:
passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many
times

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 Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the
president of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 17 May
2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the president
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a
seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006
(next to be held May 2013); prime minister appointed by the
president and confirmed by parliament
election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth
round of voting; electoral college vote - 543

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato
della Repubblica (315 seats; elected by proportional vote with the
winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that
region; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies
or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; elected by popular vote with the
winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members
serve five-year terms); note - electoral vote reform passed in
December 2005
elections: Senate - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held in
2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be
held May 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - The Union 158 (DS 62, DL 39, RC 27, Together with the Union
11, other 19), House of Freedoms 154 (FI 79, AN 41, UDC 21, LEGA
13), other 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - The Union 348 (DS 220, RC 41, Rose in the Fist 18,
Italy of Values 17, PdCI 16, Greens Federation 15, UDEUR 10, other
11), House of Freedoms 276 (FI 140, AN 71, Union of Christian and
Center Democrats 39, LEGA 26), other 6

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 Union Coalition [Romano PRODI]: Ulivo Alliance
(including Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO];
Daisy-Democracy is Freedom or DL [Francesco RUTELLI]); Rose in the
Fist (including Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI];
Italian Radical Party [Emma BONINO]); Italian Communist Party or
PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Green Federation [Alfonso PECORARO
SCANIO]; Communist Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italy of
Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]; Union of Democrats for Europe or
UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; Republican European Movement or MRE
[Luciana SBARBATI]
Center-Right Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI]: Forza
Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National Alliance or AN
[Gianfranco FINI]; Union of Christian Democrats of the Center or UDC
[Pier Ferdinando CASINI]; Northern League or LEGA [Umberto BOSSI];
Christian Democracy (Per la Autonomie) [Gianfranco ROTONDI]
other non-allied parties: New Italian Socialist Party or New PSI
[Gianni DE MICHELIS]; Italian Republican Party or PRI [Giorgio LA
MALFA]; Social Alternative [Alessandra MUSSOLINI]; Social
Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma [Luca ROMAGNOLI]; Social Idea
Movement with Rauti or MIS [Pino RAUTI]; South Tyrol People's Party
or SVP (German speakers) [Elmar Pichler ROLLE]; Union of Valley
Aosta Region or UV [Guido CESAL]

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
[Guglielmo EPIFANI] 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 [Luigi
ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer),
CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8,
G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC,
LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI
embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 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. But the
leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficit
has breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced low growth
in 2006, and unemployment remained at a high level.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.727 trillion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.78 trillion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.6% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$29,700 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 29.1%
services: 69% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
24.63 million (2006 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
7% (2006 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:
36 (2000)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $832.9 billion
expenditures: $925 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
107.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate:
1.5% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
277.6 billion kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
303.8 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
800 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
46.4 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
145,100 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.881 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

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

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

Oil - proved reserves:
586.6 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
12.96 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
80.61 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
396 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
67.91 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$-23.73 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$450.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 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 13.1%, France 12.3%, US 8.1%, Spain 7.4%, UK 6.4% (2005)

Imports:
$445.6 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
Germany 17.2%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 5.7%, China 4.6%, Belgium
4.5%, Spain 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$70.5 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.957 trillion (30 June 2006 est.)

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

Currency (code):
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 - 0.79669 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Italy

Telephones - main lines in use:
25.049 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
72.2 million (2005)

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: country code - 39; 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 hosts:
1,731,165 (2006)

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

Internet users:
28.87 million (2005)

Transportation Italy

Airports:
133 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 98
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 14 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 19 (2006)

Heliports:
5 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 17,589 km; oil 1,136 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 19,459 km
standard gauge: 18,037 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (122 km electrified); 1,299 km
0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 484,688 km
paved: 484,688 km (including 6,621 km of expressways) (2004)

Waterways:
2,400 km
note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared
to road and rail (2004)

Merchant marine:
total: 591 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,737,175 GRT/12,573,225 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 52, cargo 45, chemical tanker 136, container
25, liquefied gas 37, livestock carrier 3, passenger 16,
passenger/cargo 150, petroleum tanker 49, refrigerated cargo 4, roll
on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 28
foreign-owned: 36 (France 1, Greece 6, Spain 1, Taiwan 10, UK 3, US
15)
registered in other countries: 152 (Bahamas 5, Belize 4, Cayman
Islands 12, Cyprus 2, France 2, Germany 1, Gibraltar 6, Isle of Man
5, Jamaica 1, Liberia 16, Malta 29, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 4,
Panama 15, Portugal 12, Romania 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
18, Singapore 2, Spain 2, Sweden 7, Turkey 3, UK 4) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Melilli Oil Terminal, Ravenna, Taranto,
Trieste, Venice

Military Italy