Part 415

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: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the 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

Elevation extremes: lowest point : Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m

Natural resources: mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal

Land use: arable land: 31% permanent crops: 10% permanent pastures: 15% forests and woodland: 23% other : 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 27,100 sq km (1993 est.)

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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification, Tropical Timber 94

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

@Italy:People

Population: 56,830,508 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years : 15% (male 4,234,767; female 3,997,589) 15-64 years: 68% (male 19,314,674; female 19,442,196) 65 years and over: 17% (male 4,028,659; female 5,812,623) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.08% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 8.96 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 10.07 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.25 years male: 75.13 years female: 81.58 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.16 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Italian(s) adjective: Italian