Download ITALY LOCATION Italy is located in Southern Europe and comprises

ITALY
LOCATION
Italy is located in Southern Europe and comprises the boot-shaped Italian Peninsula and a number
of islands including the two largest, Sicily and Sardinia. It lies between latitudes 35° and 47° N, and
longitudes 6° and 19° E. Although the country comprises the Italian peninsula and most of the
southern Alpine basin, some of Italy's territory extends beyond the Alpine basin and some islands
are located outside the Eurasian continental shelf. These territories are the comuni of: Livigno,
Sexten, Innichen, Toblach (in part), Chiusaforte, Tarvisio, Graun im Vinschgau (in part), which are
all part of the Danube's drainage basin, while the Val di Lei constitutes part of the Rhine's basin and
the islands of Lampedusa and Lampione are on the African continental shelf.
The country's total area is 301,230 km², of which 294,020 km² is land and 7,210 km² is water.
Including the islands, Italy has a coastline and border of 7,600 km on the Adriatic, Ionian,
Tyrrhenian seas (740 km), and borders shared with France (488 km), Austria (430 km), Slovenia
(232 km) and Switzerland; San Marino (39 km) and Vatican City (3.2 km), both enclaves, account
for the remainder.
Mont Blanc is the highest point in Italy and the European Union.
The Apennine Mountains form the peninsula's backbone and the Alps form its northern boundary,
where Italy's highest point is located on Mont Blanc (4,810 m/15,782 ft). The Po, Italy's longest river
(652 km/405 mi), flows from the Alps on the western border with France and crosses the Padan
plain on its way to the Adriatic Sea. The five largest lakes are, in order of diminishing size; Garda
(367.94 km2/142 sq mi), Maggiore (212.51 km2/82 sq mi, shared with Switzerland), Como (145.9
km2/56 sq mi), Trasimeno (124.29 km2/48 sq mi) and Bolsena (113.55 km2/44 sq mi).
The country is situated at the meeting point of the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate, leading to
considerable seismic and volcanic activity. There are 14 volcanoes in Italy, three of which are
active: Etna (the traditional site of Vulcan’s smithy), Stromboli and Vesuvius. Vesuvius is the only
active volcano in mainland Europe and is most famous for the destruction of Pompeii and
Herculanum. Several islands and hills have been created by volcanic activity, and there is still a
large active caldera, the Campi Flegrei north-west of Naples.
POLITIC SITUATION
Italy has a parliamentary government based on a proportional voting system. The Parliament of Italy
is perfectly bicameral: the two houses, the Chamber of Deputies (that meets in Palazzo
Montecitorio) and the Senate of the Republic (that meets in Palazzo Madama), have the same
powers. The Prime Minister, officially President of the Council of Ministers (Presidente del Consiglio
dei Ministri), is Italy's head of government. The Prime Minister and the cabinet are appointed by the
President of the Republic, but must pass a vote of confidence in Parliament to become in office
ECONOMIC SITUATION
An ongoing problem of the Italian economy has been the slow growth of industrialization in the
south, which lags behind the north in most aspects of economic development. Lack of infrastructure
and organized crime have hampered development in the south and discouraged large corporations
from opening there. Government efforts to foster industrialization in the south through subsidies
have met with mixed results. Although public spending in the south increased during the 1980s,
efforts to reduce the public debt from the 1990s on meant that less funding was available. The
government succeeded in reducing unemployment in the 1990s and early 2000s; however, the
unemployment rate remained at about 8 percent of the working-age population. Unemployment
remained much higher in the south than in the north.
Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north,
dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with
high unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality
consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises, many of them family owned.
Italy also has a sizable underground economy, which by some estimates accounts for as much as
15% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture, construction, and service
sectors. Italy has moved slowly on implementing needed structural reforms, such as reducing graft,
overhauling costly entitlement programs, and increasing employment opportunities for young
workers, particularly women. The international financial crisis worsened conditions in Italy's labor
market, with unemployment rising from 6.2% in 2007 to 8.4% in 2010, but in the longer-term Italy's
low fertility rate and quota-driven immigration policies will increasingly strain its economy. A rise in
exports and investment driven by the global economic recovery nevertheless helped the economy.
The Italian government has struggled to limit government spending, but Italy's exceedingly high
public debt remains above 115% of GDP.
Some 35 percent of the land area of Italy is cultivated or used for orchards; agriculture, with fishing
and forestry, engages 4 percent of the labor force. Variations of climate, soil, and elevation allow
the cultivation of many types of crops. Italy is one of the leading nations in the production of grapes
and ranks among the world’s foremost wine producers. Italian wine production totaled about 5
million metric tons at the beginning of the 21st century. Italy also is one of the world’s leading
producers of olives and olive oil. Chief field crops included sugar beets, maize wheat, and
tomatoes. Other field crops are potatoes, rice, barley, lettuce, soybeans, and artichokes. Orchard
crops, prominent in the Italian economy, include apples, oranges, peaches, pears, figs, dates, and
nuts. Dairy farming is a major industry. About 50 kinds of cheese are produced, including
Gorgonzola, pecorino, and Parmesan. Livestock included cattle, sheep, hogs, goats, horses, and
poultry
ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION
Italy has been slow to confront its environmental problems. Central government agencies
concerned with the environment are the Ministry for Ecology (established in 1983), the Ministry of
Culture and Environmental Quality, the National Council for Research, and the Ministry for
Coordination of Scientific and Technological Research. Localities also have responsibility for
environmental protection, but most of the burden of planning and enforcement falls on regional
authorities. Air pollution is a significant problem in Italy. United Nations sources estimate that
carbon monoxide emissions increased by 12% in the period between 1985 and 1988. Water
pollution is another important environmental issue in Italy. The nation's rivers and coasts have been
polluted by industrial and agricultural contaminants and its lakes contaminated by acid rain. In 2001
the nation had 160 cu km of renewable water resources with 53% used in farming activity and 33%
used for industrial purposes.
Of Italy's mammal species, 10 are endangered, as well as 7 bird species and 202 plant species.
Endangered species include the Italian gray partridge, Italian spadefoot toad, and the scarce large
blue and false ringlet butterflies. The Sardinian pika and Spengler's freshwater mussel are extinct
. After its quick industrial growth, Italy took a long time to confront its environmental problems. After
several improvements, it now ranks 84th in the world for ecological sustainability. National
parks cover about five percent of the country. In the last decade, Italy has become one of the
world's leading producers of renewable energy, ranking as the world’s fourth largest holder of
installed solar energy capacity and the sixth largest holder of wind power capacity in
2010.Renewable energies now make up about 12% of the total primary and final energy
consumption in Italy, with a future target share set at 17% for the year 2020.
Deforestation, illegal building developments and poor land-management policies have led to
significant erosion all over Italy's mountainous regions, leading to major ecological disasters like the
1963 Vajont Dam flood, the 1998 Sarno
HUMAN RIGHTS
"Italy's credibility at the UN Human Rights Council depends on its record at home," said Judith
Sunderland, senior Western Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Italian government
needs to live up to the human rights promises it has made."
Human Rights Watch urged the Italian government to improve its response to racism and
xenophobia and to ensure better protection against discrimination for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and
transgender people. It also called on Italy to intensify rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea
and ensure continued access to asylum procedures for those fleeing violence and persecution in
Libya and elsewhere.
Italy should also affirm its commitment to the global ban on torture by including torture as crime in
its criminal code, ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, and repudiating
practices that put people at risk of torture upon deportation, Human Rights Watch said.
To demonstrate its commitment to human rights, the Italian government should follow through on
the pledges it submitted ahead of the May 20 Human Rights Council elections, Human Rights
Watch said.
This includes timely implementation of recommendations made during the first round of Italy's
Universal Periodic Review before the Human Rights Council, in February 2010. Particular attention
should be given to addressing discrimination and racism, improving the situation of Roma and Sinti
minority populations, and the long-delayed creation of an independent entity to monitor human
rights practices.