Iran & Italy: Trade & Exhibition Information

Description:

Italy is situated in Europe and attached in the north to the European mainland. To the north, the Alps separate Italy from France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Northern Italy: The Alpine regions, the Po Plain and the Dolomites. Piedmont and Val d'Aosta contain some of the highest mountains in Europe and are good areas for winter sports. Rivers flow down from the mountains passing through the beautiful Italian Lake District (Maggiore, Como, Garda) to the fertile Po Basin, which extends as far south as the bare slopes of the Appennines, and has long been one of Italy's most prosperous regions. Central Italy: The northern part of the Italian peninsula. Tuscany (Toscana) has a diverse landscape with snow-capped mountains, lush countryside, hills and a long sandy coastline. To the east is Umbria, known as the ‘green heart of Italy'; hilly with broad plains, olive groves and pines, and Le Marche - a region of gentle mountains, rivers and small fertile plains. Further south lies Rome, Italy's capital city. Within its precincts is the Vatican City. Southern Italy: The south is wilder than the north, with mile upon mile of olive trees, cool forests and rolling hills. Campania consists of flat coastal plains and low mountains, stretching along a rocky coast to the Calabrian border. The islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida in the Tyrrhenian Sea are also part of Campania. Puglia, the ‘heel of the boot', is a landscape of volcanic hills and isolated marshes. Calabria, the ‘toe', is wild, heavily forested and thinly populated. The Islands: Sicily (Sicilia), visible across a 3km (2-mile) strait from mainland Italy, is famed for its active volcano Mount Etna and lava fields. Sardinia (Sardegna) has a mountainous landscape, fine sandy beaches and rocky offshore islands.

Population :
58.9 million (UN estimate 2007).

language:
Italian is the official language. Dialects are spoken in different regions. German is spoken in the South Tyrol region (bordering Austria). French is spoken in all the border areas from the Riviera to the area north of Milan (border with France and Switzerland). English, French and German are also spoken in the biggest cities and in tourism and business circles.

Climate:
Summer temperatures in the south are far hotter than in the north – especially in the mountain regions which have heavy winter snowfalls. The north is the wettest area, while the wettest months are October to December

Economy - overview:

Traditionally agricultural, Italy industrialised rapidly after 1945, to the point where less than 5% of the population is now engaged in agriculture. The majority of these live in the south of Italy, which is substantially poorer than the rest of the country. The principal crops are sugar beet, wheat, tomatoes and fruit (especially grapes, many used for wine, of which Italy is a leading producer).
As with most western European economies, the tourism industry now enjoys a major position alongside other service industries such as financial services. Italy continues to rely heavily on the export of manufactured goods. Its particular strengths are in advanced manufacturing techniques and systems, high-quality design and precision engineering.
Most industrial raw materials and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. The economy has been sluggish since 2000 with growth in 2007 less than 2% and expected to drop further. Inflation in 2007 was just under 2%; unemployment is just under 7%.
In Europe, despite some doubts about the size of its growing budget deficit (public debt is 105% of GDP), Italy was among the founding members of the Euro-zone in 1999. The current government has enacted some reforms to improve competiveness and growth.

Economy:

Traditionally agricultural, Italy industrialised rapidly after 1945, to the point where less than 5% of the population is now engaged in agriculture. The majority of these live in the south of Italy, which is substantially poorer than the rest of the country. The principal crops are sugar beet, wheat, tomatoes and fruit (especially grapes, many used for wine, of which Italy is a leading producer).
As with most western European economies, the tourism industry now enjoys a major position alongside other service industries such as financial services. Italy continues to rely heavily on the export of manufactured goods. Its particular strengths are in advanced manufacturing techniques and systems, high-quality design and precision engineering.
Most industrial raw materials and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. The economy has been sluggish since 2000 with growth in 2007 less than 2% and expected to drop further. Inflation in 2007 was just under 2%; unemployment is just under 7%.
In Europe, despite some doubts about the size of its growing budget deficit (public debt is 105% of GDP), Italy was among the founding members of the Euro-zone in 1999. The current government has enacted some reforms to improve competiveness and growth.

Exports:

Engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles and transport equipment.
• Main trade partners: Germany, France, USA, Spain and UK.

Imports:

Engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products and minerals.

Exchange rates:

Euro (EUR; symbol €) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/129/money/Europe/Italy.html

GDP :

US$1.8 trillion (2007).