ries; 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 - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Italy

Telephones - main lines in use:
26.596 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
55.918 million (2003)

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:
1,437,511 (2004)

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

Internet users:
18.5 million (2003)

Transportation Italy

Railways:
total: 19,507 km (11,651 km electrified)
standard gauge: 18,070 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified); 1,314 km
0.950-m gauge (188 km electrified) (2003)

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

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

Pipelines:
gas 17,335 km; oil 1,136 km (2004)

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

Merchant marine:
total: 475 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 8,970,017 GRT/10,354,685 DWT
foreign-owned: Denmark 4, France 3, Greece 5, Japan 1, Isle of Man
1, Monaco 22, Netherlands 4, Panama 2, Switzerland 2, Taiwan 10,
United Kingdom 5, United States 13
registered in other countries: 144 (2004 est.)
by type: bulk 39, cargo 40, chemical tanker 106, combination ore/oil
2, container 23, liquefied gas 43, livestock carrier 2,