Preview Italy Bare Facts, Progressive Issues

Italy is a country located in European continent and the boot-shaped Italian peninsula extending into Mediterranean Sea, situated at northeast of Tunisia. The total area of Italy is 301,340 sq. km with a land area of 294,140 sq. km and water area of 7,200 sq. km. The total land boundary of the nation is about 1,899.2 km. Italy shares its border with Australia, France, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia and Switzerland. The climate of the nation is principally Mediterranean, the climate variate from Alpine in far north and hot, dry in south. On June 2 1946, Italy became a democratic republic and now it is a parliamentary, democratic republic with a multi-political party system. The Italian Constitution was passed on 11th December of 1947 that became effective since 1st of January 1948. The Constitution has been amended many times since then. The age of consent and suffrage for Italians is 18 years, although for senatorial elections, the suffrage is minimum 25 years.

The parliament along with a few regional delegates elect the President of Italy who is the head of state is thus elected by the law-makers, he chooses the ministers and Prime Minister of Italy and he is the president of Judiciary and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Italy. The presidential tenure is of 7 years. The council of ministers is proposed by Prime Minister and is nominated by the President.

Recently, Giorgio Napolitano was elected as the President of Italy in 2006. He chose Silvio Berlusconi as the prime minister of Italy in 2008. (CIA, The World Factbook, 2010) Italy was fifth most popular country for tourism with almost 43.7 million tourist arrivals in 2007. The number of World's Heritage Sites conserved by UNESCO in Italy is more than in any other country (UNESCO World Heritage Sites, In Italy), which signifies that Italy has most significant cultural, scientific development and natural importance to humanity (World Heritage Sites, 2009).

Italy is a land of scientific and technological development and since centuries, many a great minds from Italy have been serving the process of human development on various planes. Some of the most revered scientists from Italy are Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo Galilee and Enrico Fermi, the mathematicians Lagrange, Fibonacci, and Gerolamo Cardano, Camillo Golgi and Guglielmo Marconi.

According to a research study by National Science Indicators, Italy has a more than average output of scientific papers, in which at least one of the researchers is from Italy, the most common subjects of research paper being space science, mathematics, neuroscience, physics and neuroscience. (Science in Italy, 2003-2007)

Despite being having the world's second best medical administration system (WHO assesses the World's Health Systems, 2000), AIDS is a major epidemic that is a major concern for Administration of Italy. According to a report of UNAIDS, 150, 000 males and 41,000 females with HIV/AIDS were living in Italy in 2007 ( AVERT, International AIDS charity). By 2006, total 57, 375 cases of AIDS were registered, including 35,077 people who had died because of AIDS, in the year 2006, 254 deaths amongst the newly registered 1126 AIDS cases were reported. The peak of annual AIDS with 5500 cases was registered in 1995. Since than, the extensive use of HAART helped in controlling and declining the number of AIDS cases and now the number of new registered AIDS cases is 1600 annually. Sexual transmission is considered as the major way of spread of AIDS in Italy. 42% of new AIDS cases in 2006 were cases of infection through heterosexual sex, 21% of AIDS cases were amongst homosexuals and 29% of AIDS cases were reported to be among the injecting drug users.

Awareness about AIDS spread fast in Italy, in 1994, only 2% of AIDS cases in Italy were found in foreigners, yet in 2004, the % of AIDS cases in foreigners increased to 20%. There is a vast regional variation in reported AIDS cases with city of Rome, Milan, Genoa and Bologna having the highest AIDS incidence cases. The PLHIV support for AIDS patients in Italy is working smoothly and in 2006, 90,000 PLHIV were there for care in Italy, yet there is no HAART monitoring system applied in Italy, hence no exact data of patients receiving HAART can be assessed. (WHO HIV/AIDS, Regional Office for Europe report)

Italy is well known for its colourful flavour of Arts and Literature. The architectural styles of Italy vary from Classical Roman and Greek, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Art Nouveau to Modern and Italy hosts many of the world's best architectural pleasurable sites such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Piazza del Campo, Milan Cathedral, Florence Cathedral, the Palladian Villas of the Veneto, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Villa Olmo and the Pirelli Tower. (Turin, Italy, The architecture you must see)

Italian literature is quite prominent, Italy is the birth place of many modern literary figures, and Nobel Laureates such as Giosuè Carducci in 1906, realist writer Lady Grazia Deledda in 1926, modern theatre author Luigi Pirandello in 1936, poets Salvatore Quasimodo in 1959 and Eugenio Montale in 1975, satirist and theatre author Dario Fo in 1997. (All Nobel Laureates in Literature, Nobelprize.org)

Italian fashion and design is considered as one of the most important in the world, Global Language Monitor announced Milan as the world's true fashion capital in 2009 (Global Language Monitor, Fashion), Italian labels such as Gucci, Prada, Versace, Valentino, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, Fendi, Moschino, Max Mara and Ferragamo etc are considered as the finest and most popular fashion houses of the world. 

Italy is a prominent member of Group of Eight Industrialized nations, the European Union and OECD.

International Monetary Fund recognized Italy as the seventh largest economy of the world (World Bank Database, 2008). Italy is considered as a developed country and World Bank recognizes that Italy has high levels of freedom for business, trade and investments. Italy is one of the world's most industrialized nations and The Economist mentioned that Italy has world's eighth highest quality of life (The Economist, 2005). Yet, Italy has its own economical woes. The current annual average growth of Italy is declining since the last decade and is well below the average EU annual growth (Euro stats, Real GDP growth rate).

The Northern parts of Italy are well developed and are in constant process of development, while the southern parts of Italy are suffering huge economic drawbacks. South Italy is often criticized as Sick man of Europe. The Economist reported that Italy's economy is stagnant, business is in deep depression and economical reforms are ineffective and moribund (The Economist, 2005). Italy is 8th largest exporter of the world (CIA, World Factbook) and it exports precision machinery, motor vehicles (utilitaries, luxury vehicles, motorcycles, and scooters), chemicals and electric goods, Italy is important agricultural exporter, world's largest producer and exporter of kiwis, grapes and artichoke. Italy exports its products majorly in European Union, its major trade partners are Germany, France and Spain. (CIA The World Factbook, 2010)

Italy enjoyed a quick industrial growth after World War II, yet it failed in confronting the environmental problem thus produced. Air pollution is a severe problem and in 1990's Italy was the 10th highest emitter of Carbon Dioxide. The bigger metropolitan areas of Italy suffer huge traffic congestion that adds further to pollution. Italian Architectural monuments suffer huge problem from Acid Rain as the major air pollutants of Italy are Carbon Dixoide and Sulphur Dioxide. The coastal and inland rivers of Italy suffer industrial and agricultural pollution and acid rains are damaging rains. (CIA The World Factbook, 2010). In Italy, 10 mammal species, 7 bird species and 202 plant species faces extinction dangers (Encyclopaedia of Nations, Italy)

In order to conserve it's natural and architectural heritage and maintain the climate sustenance, Italy has signed many international pacts and agreements including Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection etc (CIA The World Factbook, 2010) and the administration of Italy is well concerned about improving Italy's climate and reducing the air pollution.

Italian population was well over 60 million by the end of 2008, which makes Italy the 4th largest population in EU and 23rd worldwide (Euro stats, 2008). The population density of Italy is 199.2 per square kilometre that is the fifth highest in European Union. Italy enjoyed high fertility rates until 1970 and after that, the fertility rate plunged down and population growth declined to negative values because of which, according to 2008 estimates, 1 person in five Italians is over 65 years of age. (Ageing characteristics, 2008). Yet, Italy observed massive immigration in the last two decades of 20th century because of which, Italy experienced a rise in birth rate in 2000 in the northern regions. Since then, the total fertility rates have been increasing both in foreign born and native Italian women. In 2005, the fertility rate among women was 1.32 children per woman, which increased to 1.41 children per woman in 2008. (Average fertility rate, 2008)

Italy does have a significant portion of rural population that survives on agriculture, yet the major population concentration of Italy is in the urban metropolitan cities. Rome, Milan and Naples are the three Italian cities with highest population concentration. The population growth rate of Italy is negative 0.047%, which is extremely slow and can be a huge problem in future because it may cause labour shortage. Yet the current immigration trends show a positive picture for the future.

Although Italy faces huge differences in regional culture, the Italian population is considered as homogenous. According to CIA world fact file, 13.5% of Italians are under the age of 15 years, 66.3% Italians are in the age group of 15 to 64 years and 20.2% of Italians are of or above 65 years age. The sex ratio in Italy at birth is 1.07 males per female, sex ratio under age bar of 15 years is 1.6 males per female, in the age group of 15 years to 64 years, sex ratio is 1.03 males per female and above that, it is 0.72. (CIA The World Factbook, 2010)

Italy is a nation with peace at large and since after World War II, Italy has not been involved in any major or minor conflict. The Italian population is quite homogenous and seldom suffer any internal conflict or violence. Italy has very cordial and peaceful relationships with its neighbouring countries and Italy was a founding member of European Union. In 1955, Italy joined United Nations and now it is a strong member and supporter of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and World Trade Organization (WTO). Being a member of NATO and UN, Italy provided military support for NATO and UN missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania. Italy is still engaged in programs for reconstructing and stabilizing Iraq. In 2003, Italy deployed some 2,000 troops to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and in 2006, Italy deployed 2450 troops in Lebanon to help UNIFIL. (Italy, Foreign Relations)

The major transnational issues of concern to Italy are due to the illegal immigration of tens of thousands of people from south-eastern Europe and northern Africa from Italy's long coastline. Immigrants get attracted towards Italy because of its developed economic structure. Yet, the immigration is also helping Italy to maintain its demographic structure. Other issue of concern relates to illicit drug trafficking as Italy is an important gateway for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin to enter the European market. It causes cases of smuggling and money laundering by organized crime. (CIA The World Factbook, 2010)

Despite all the worries concerned with the population growth rate and ageing population, Italy is a well established industrialized nation that can be a world leader for the scientific and technological improvements along with the continuous revolutionary movements in favour of human development by means of arts and literature. The major concerns of Italy are the declining climatic conditions and the epidemic nature of AIDS/HIV. The premiership of Italy needs to implement better policies to counter AIDS epidemic and need to spread awareness and help of HAART properly throughout the nation. Italy has already signed Kyoto protocol and is definitely devoted to improve its climatic situations.

The economic position of Italy is also an issue to be rectified. With the ageing population of Italy, the national debt may suffer huge burdens in the coming years because of the national pension and senior citizens help programs. In the light of economic turmoil of Greece and huge national debt of UK, Italy administration would be needed to concentrate more on how to decrease their national debt. The leadership of Italy also needs to work upon removing the economical differences between the north and south region and to provide equal economic development opportunities to the south regions of Italy too so that Italy may recover from its position of "sick man of Europe".

Government needs to stress more on the policies to remove economic differences and to support research and development works. Italy enjoys great infrastructural set up and if proper immigration is allowed, Italy can easily attract a load of best brains and expert workers throughout the world to stabilize the demographic conditions of Italy and to provide it strength of labour. Overall, Italy is well-poised to face the current or futuristic problems. 

References:

1) UNESCO World Heritage Sites, In Italy, http://www.initaly.com/regions/ethnic/unesco.htm