everages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous
metals

Exports--partners: Germany 16.4%, France 12.2%, US 7.9%, UK 7.1%,
Spain 5.2%, Netherlands 2.8% (1997)

Imports: $202 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

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

Radio broadcast stations: AM 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840),
shortwave 0

Radios: 45.7 million (1996 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 6,317 (consisting of 117 public
stations with two kW of power or more, about 5,300 low-power public
stations, and about 900 low-power private stations, mostly in local
service) (1997)

Televisions: 17 million (1996 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 19,272 km
standard gauge: 17,983 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS)
operates 15,942 km of the total standard gauge routes (10,889 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 1,177 km
0.950-m gauge (19 km electrified) (1996)

Highways:
total: 317,000 km
paved: 317,000 km (including 9,500 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial tr