Capital: Rome
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

Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)

Constitution: 1 January 1948

Legal system: based on civil law system, with ecclesiastical law influence; appeals treated as trials de novo; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 11 May 1994)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlamento)
Senate (Senato della Repubblica): elections last held 27-28 March 1994 (next expected to be held by spring 2001); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (326 total; 315 elected, 11 appointed senators-for-life) PDS 61, Northern League 60, National Alliance 48, Forza Italia 36, Popular Party 31, Communist Refounding 18, Greens and The Network 13, Socialist Party 13, Christian Democratic Center 12, Democratic Alliance 8, Christian Socialists 5, Pact for Italy 4, Radical Party 1, others 5
Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati): elections last held 27-28 March 1994 (next expected to be held by spring 2001); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (630 total) Northern League 117, PDS 114, Forza Italia 113, National Alliance 109, Communist Refounding 39, Christian Democratic Center 33, Popular Party 33, Greens and The Network 20, Democratic Alliance 18, Socialist Party 16, Pact for Italy 13, Christian Socialists 5

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)

Political parties and leaders:
Rightists: Forza Italia, Silvio BERLUSCONI; National Alliance (was Italian Social Movement - MSI - until January 1994), Gianfranco FINI, party secretary; Lega Nord (Northern League), Umberto BOSSI, president
Leftists: Democratic Party of the Left (PDS - was Communist Party, or PCI, until January 1991), Achille OCCHETTO, secretary; Communist Refounding, Fausto BERTINOTTI; Greens, Carlo RIPA di MEARA; Radical Party, Marco PANNELLA; Italian Socialist Party, Ottaviano DELTURCO; The Network, Leoluca ORLANDO; Christian Socialists, Ermanno GORRIERI
Centrists: Pact for Italy, Mario SEGNI; Popular Party, Rosa JERVOLINO; Christian Democratic Center, Pier Ferdinando CASINI
Other political or pressure groups: the Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (CGIL - formerly Communist dominated, CISL - Christian Democratic, and UIL - Social Democratic, Socialist, and Republican); Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group, AsDB, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IEA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOSOM, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Boris BIANCHERI-CHIAPPORI
chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 328-5500 (year 2000) - (202)612-4400 (year 2006)
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit, New Orleans, and Newark (New Jersey)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Reginald BARTHOLOMEW
embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, Rome; APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (6) 46741
FAX: [39] (6) 488-2672
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

Flag: 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: The information regarding Italy on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Italy Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Italy Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.