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Compare Italy (2003) - Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2005)

Compare Italy (2003) z Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2005)

 Italy (2003)Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2005)
 ItalyCongo, Democratic Republic of the
Administrative divisions 20 regions (regioni, singular - regione); Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta, Veneto 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu
Age structure 0-14 years: 14% (male 4,193,412; female 3,947,679)


15-64 years: 67.2% (male 19,625,428; female 19,337,861)


65 years and over: 18.8% (male 4,516,995; female 6,376,978) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 48.1% (male 14,513,779/female 14,396,952)


15-64 years: 49.4% (male 14,579,101/female 15,121,297)


65 years and over: 2.5% (male 597,776/female 876,099) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Airports 134 (2002) 230 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 96


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 34


1,524 to 2,437 m: 15


914 to 1,523 m: 30


under 914 m: 12 (2002)
total: 24


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 38


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 18


under 914 m: 18 (2002)
total: 206


1,524 to 2,437 m: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 92


under 914 m: 97 (2004 est.)
Area total: 301,230 sq km


land: 294,020 sq km


water: 7,210 sq km


note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
total: 2,345,410 sq km


land: 2,267,600 sq km


water: 77,810 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Arizona slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Background Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the European Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north. Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several subsequent sham elections as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by an insurrection backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; Joseph KABILA remains as president and is joined by four vice presidents representing the former government, former rebel groups, and the political opposition.
Birth rate 9.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 44.38 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $504 billion


expenditures: $517 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues: $269 million


expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)
Capital Rome Kinshasa
Climate predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October
Coastline 7,600 km 37 km
Constitution 1 January 1948 new constitution adopted 17 July 2003
Country name conventional long form: Italian Republic


conventional short form: Italy


local long form: Repubblica Italiana


local short form: Italia


former: Kingdom of Italy
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo


conventional short form: none


local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo


local short form: none


former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire


abbreviation: DROC
Currency euro (EUR)


note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
-
Death rate 10.12 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 14.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external NA $11.6 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER


embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome


mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624


telephone: [39] (06) 46741


FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356


consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS


embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa


mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828


telephone: [243] (88) 43608


FAX: [243] (88) 43467
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Sergio VENTO


chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400


FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco


consulate(s): Detroit
chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU


chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009: note - Consular Office at 1726 M Street, NW, Wasington, DC, 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691


FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
Disputes - international Croatia and Italy continue to debate bilateral property and ethnic minority rights issues stemming from border changes after the Second World War heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledge to end conflict but unchecked tribal, rebel, and militia fighting continues unabated in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, drawing in the neighboring states of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has maintained over 14,000 peacekeepers in the region since 1999; thousands of Ituri refugees from the Congo continue to flee the fighting primarily into Uganda; 90,000 Angolan refugees were repatriated by 2004 with the remainder in the Democratic Republic of the Congo expected to return in 2005; in 2005, DROC and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism to address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels and the DROC providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means and bases to attack Rwandan forces; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area
Economic aid - donor ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.) -
Economic aid - recipient - $195.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed, welfare-dependent agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of perhaps 3.5 million people from war, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. Several IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. Much economic activity lies outside the GDP data. Economic stability, aided by international donors, improved in 2003-04, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of openness in government policy continues to hamper growth. In 2005, renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most exports, could boost Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth.
Electricity - consumption 289.1 billion kWh (2001) 4.168 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 556 million kWh (2001) 1.5 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 48.93 billion kWh (2001) 8 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 258.8 billion kWh (2001) 6.086 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 78.6%


hydro: 18.4%


nuclear: 0%


other: 3% (2001)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
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 poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999) Congolese francs per US dollar - 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003), 346.49 (2002), 206.62 (2001), 21.82 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (since 13 May 1999)


head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 10 June 2001)


cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president


elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term; election last held 13 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2006); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by Parliament


election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 70%


note: a five-party government coalition includes Forza Italia, National Alliance, Northern League, Democratic Christian Center, United Christian Democrats
chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president


elections: prior to the overthrow of MOBUTU Sese Seko, the president was elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997); formerly, there was also a prime minister who was elected by the High Council of the Republic; note - a Transitional Government is drafting a new constitution with free elections scheduled to be held in NA 2005


election results: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition


note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, following the latter's assassination in January 2001, negotiations with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free elections scheduled to be held in NA 2005
Exports 456,600 bbl/day (2001) NA
Exports - commodities engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt
Exports - partners Germany 13.7%, France 12.2%, US 9.8%, UK 6.9%, Spain 6.4% (2002) Belgium 47.8%, Finland 21%, US 10.9%, China 7.6% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green


note: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797
light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $1.455 trillion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2.4%


industry: 30%


services: 67.6% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 55%


industry: 11%


services: 34% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $25,100 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $700 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 0.4% (2002 est.) 7.5% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 42 50 N, 12 50 E 0 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe straddles equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands
Heliports 4 (2002) -
Highways total: 479,688 km


paved: 479,688 km (including 6,621 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (1999)
total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.1%


highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
Imports 2.158 million bbl/day (2001) NA
Imports - commodities engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages and tobacco foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners Germany 17.8%, France 11.3%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 5%, US 4.9%, Spain 4.6%, Belgium 4.4% (2002) South Africa 18.5%, Belgium 15.5%, France 10.8%, Kenya 6.3%, US 6%, Germany 5.8% (2004)
Independence 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870) 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
Industrial production growth rate -2.8% (2002) NA
Industries tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair
Infant mortality rate total: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 6.82 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 92.87 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 101.25 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 84.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.4% (2002 est.) 14% (2003 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000) -
Irrigated land 26,980 sq km (1998 est.) 110 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 23.6 million (2001 est.) 14.51 million (1993 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services 63%, industry 32%, agriculture 5% (2001) NA
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
total: 10,730 km


border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Land use arable land: 28.07%


permanent crops: 9.25%


other: 62.68% (1998 est.)
arable land: 2.96%


permanent crops: 0.52%


other: 96.52% (2001)
Languages Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area) French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Legal system based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats elected by popular vote of which 232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by regional proportional representation; in addition, there are a small number of senators-for-life including former presidents of the republic; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional proportional representation; members serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - House of Liberties 177 (Forza Italia 82, National Alliance 46, CCD-CDU 29, Northern League 17, others 3), Olive Tree 128 (Democrats of the Left 62, Daisy Alliance 42, Sunflower Alliance 16, Italian Communist Party 3, independents 5), non-affiliated with either coalition 10, senators for life 9; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - House of Liberties 367 (Forza Italia 189, National Alliance 96, CCD-CDU 40, Northern League 30, others 12), Olive Tree 248 (Democrats of the Left 138, Daisy Alliance 76, Sunflower Alliance 18, Italian Communist Party 9, independents 7), non-affiliated with either coalition 15
a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000


elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 79.4 years


male: 76.47 years


female: 82.52 years (2003 est.)
total population: 51.1 years


male: 49.68 years


female: 52.56 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.6%


male: 99%


female: 98.3% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba


total population: 65.5%


male: 76.2%


female: 55.1% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Map references Europe Africa
Maritime claims continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
Merchant marine total: 462 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 8,518,900 GRT/9,963,040 DWT


ships by type: bulk 43, cargo 39, chemical tanker 98, combination ore/oil 5, container 28, liquefied gas 39, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 14, petroleum tanker 67, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 60, short-sea passenger 32, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 22


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Croatia 1, Denmark 4, France 1, Greece 3, Man, Isle of 1, Monaco 7, Netherlands 6, Norway 1, Panama 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 15, Turkey 1, UK 6, US 12 (2002 est.)
registered in other countries: 1
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $20.2 billion (2002) $93.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.64% (2002) 1.5% (2004)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 14,450,147 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 12,349,356 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 291,529 (2003 est.) -
National holiday Republic Day, 2 June (1946) Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
Nationality noun: Italian(s)


adjective: Italian
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Natural resources mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber
Net migration rate 2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: fighting between the Congolese Government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million Congolese internally displaced and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2005 est.)
Pipelines gas 17,448 km; oil 1,245 km (2003) gas 54 km; oil 71 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Center-Left Olive Tree Coalition [Francesco RUTELLI] - Democrats of the Left, Daisy Alliance (including Italian Popular Party, Italian Renewal, Union of Democrats for Europe, The Democrats), Sunflower Alliance (including Green Federation, Italian Democratic Socialists), Italian Communist Party; Center-Right Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI] (formerly House of Liberties and Freedom Alliance) - Forza Italia, National Alliance, The Whiteflower Alliance (includes Christian Democratic Center, United Christian Democrats), Northern League; Christian Democratic Center or CCD [Marco FOLLINI]; Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO]; Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; Green Federation [Alfonso Pecoraro SCANIO]; Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Armando COSSUTTA]; Italian Popular Party or PPI [Pierluigi CASTAGNETTI]; Italian Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI]; Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI]; Socialist Movement-Tricolor Flame or MS-Fiamma [Pino RAUTI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Northern League or NL [Umberto BOSSI]; Southern Tyrols People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Siegfried BRUGGER]; Sunflower Alliance (includes Green Federation, Italian Social Democrats); The Daisy Alliance (includes Italian Popular Party, Italian Renewal, Union of Democrats for Europe, The Democrats); The Democrats [Arturo PARISI]; The Radicals (formerly Pannella Reformers and Autonomous List) [Marco PANNELLA]; The Whiteflower Alliance (includes Christian Democratic Center, United Christian Democrats); Union of Democrats for Europe or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; United Christian Democrats or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE] Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR (three factions: MPR-Fait Prive [Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo]; MPR/Vunduawe [Felix VUNDUAWE]; MPR/Mananga [MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo]); Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI (two factions: UFERI [Lokambo OMOKOKO]; UFERI/OR [Adolph Kishwe MAYA])
Political pressure groups and leaders Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Sergio COFFERATI] which is left wing, Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino PEZZOTTA], which is Roman Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Pietro LARIZZA] which is lay centrist) NA
Population 57,998,353 (July 2003 est.) 60,085,804


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA
Population growth rate 0.11% (2003 est.) 2.98% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice (2001) Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Radio broadcast stations AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998) AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
Railways total: 19,493 km


standard gauge: 18,090 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 88 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified); 1,315 km 0.950-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2002)
total: 5,138 km


narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2004)
Religions predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25) 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
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: 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
general assessment: poor


domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations


international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 25 million (1999) 10,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 20.5 million (1999) 1 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations 358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995) 4 (2001)
Terrain mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Total fertility rate 1.26 children born/woman (2003 est.) 6.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.1% (2002 est.) NA (2003 est.)
Waterways 2,400 km


note: serves various types of commercial traffic, although of limited overall value (2002)
15,000 km (navigation on the Congo curtailed by fighting) (2004)
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