of GNP (1991);
note--includes an estimated $1.8 billion in US military aid
_%_
_@_Italy
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 301,230 km2; land area: 294,020 km2; includes Sardinia
and Sicily

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Arizona

_#_Land boundaries: 1,902.2 km total; Austria 430 km, France 488 km,
San Marino 39 km, Switzerland 740 km, Vatican City 3.2 km, Yugoslavia
202 km

_#_Coastline: 4,996 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to 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

_#_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%; includes irrigated 10%

_#_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

_*_People
_#_Population: 57,772,375 (July 1991), growth rate 0.2% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 82 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Italian(s); adjective--Italian

_#_Ethnic divisions: primarily Italian but population includes small
clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and
Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south; Sicilians; Sardinians

_#_Religion: nominally Roman Catholic almost 100%

_#_Language: Italian; parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are
predominantly German speaking; significant French-speaking minority in
Valle d'Aosta region; Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia
area

_#_Literacy: 97% (male 98%, female 96%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 23,988,000; services 58%, industry 32.2%,
agriculture 9.8% (1988)

_#_Organized labor: 40-45% of labor force (est.)

_*_Government
_