ideal
         adj 1: conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or
                  excellence; embodying an ideal
         2: constituting or existing only in the form of an idea or
            mental image or conception; "a poem or essay may be typical
            of its period in idea or ideal content"
         3: of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of the reality
            of ideas [syn: {ideal}, {idealistic}]
         n 1: the idea of something that is perfect; something that one
               hopes to attain
         2: model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no
            equal [syn: {ideal}, {paragon}, {nonpareil}, {saint},
            {apotheosis}, {nonesuch}, {nonsuch}]

English Dictionary: ideal	by the DICT Development Group
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
ideally adv in an ideal manner; "ideally, this will remove all problems"
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
idle adj not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind" Antonym(s): busy without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy" Synonym(s): baseless, groundless, idle, unfounded, unwarranted, wild not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands" Synonym(s): idle, unused silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter" Synonym(s): idle, light lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue" Synonym(s): idle, loose not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds" Synonym(s): dead, idle not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work" Synonym(s): idle, jobless, out of work n the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling; "the car engine was running at idle" v run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling" [syn: idle, tick over] Antonym(s): run be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning" Synonym(s): idle, laze, slug, stagnate Antonym(s): work
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
idly adv in an idle manner; "this is what I always imagined myself doing in the south of France, sitting idly, drinking coffee, watching the people" Synonym(s): idly, lazily
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
idol n a material effigy that is worshipped; "thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"; "money was his god" Synonym(s): idol, graven image, god someone who is adored blindly and excessively Synonym(s): idol, matinee idol an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept Synonym(s): paragon, idol, perfection, beau ideal
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
idyl n a musical composition that evokes rural life [syn: pastorale, pastoral, idyll, idyl] a short poem descriptive of rural or pastoral life Synonym(s): eclogue, bucolic, idyll, idyl
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
idyll n an episode of such pastoral or romantic charm as to qualify as the subject of a poetic idyll a musical composition that evokes rural life Synonym(s): pastorale, pastoral, idyll, idyl a short poem descriptive of rural or pastoral life Synonym(s): eclogue, bucolic, idyll, idyl
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Italia n a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD Synonym(s): Italy, Italian Republic, Italia
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Italy n a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD Synonym(s): Italy, Italian Republic, Italia
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Ideal \I*de"al\, a. [L. idealis: cf. F. id[82]al.]       1. Existing in idea or thought; conceptional; intellectual;             mental; as, ideal knowledge.          2. Reaching an imaginary standard of excellence; fit for a             model; faultless; as, ideal beauty. --Byron.                         There will always be a wide interval between                      practical and ideal excellence.         --Rambler.          3. Existing in fancy or imagination only; visionary; unreal.             [bd]Planning ideal common wealth.[b8] --Southey.          4. Teaching the doctrine of idealism; as, the ideal theory or             philosophy.          5. (Math.) Imaginary.          Syn: Intellectual; mental; visionary; fanciful; imaginary;                unreal; impracticable; utopian.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Ideal \I*de"al\, n.       A mental conception regarded as a standard of perfection; a       model of excellence, beauty, etc.                   The ideal is to be attained by selecting and assembling                in one whole the beauties and perfections which are                usually seen in different individuals, excluding                everything defective or unseemly, so as to form a type                or model of the species. Thus, the Apollo Belvedere is                the ideal of the beauty and proportion of the human                frame.                                                   --Fleming.          {Beau ideal}. See {Beau ideal}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Ideally \I*de"al*ly\, adv.       In an ideal manner; by means of ideals; mentally.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Idle \I"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Idled}; p. pr. & vb. n.       {Idling}.]       To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed       in business. --Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Idle \I"dle\, a. [Compar. {Idler}; superl. {Idlest}.] [OE. idel,       AS. [c6]del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. [c6]dal, D.       ijdel, OHG. [c6]tal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw.       idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. [?] clear, pure, [?] to       burn. Cf. {Ether}.]       1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable;             thoughtless; silly; barren. [bd]Deserts idle.[b8] --Shak.                         Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall                      give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt.                                                                               xii. 36.                         Down their idle weapons dropped.         --Milton.                         This idle story became important.      --Macaulay.          2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate             use; unemployed; as, idle hours.                         The idle spear and shield were high uphing.                                                                               --Milton.          3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing             nothing; as, idle workmen.                         Why stand ye here all the day idle?   --Matt. xx. 6.          4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy;             slothful; as, an idle fellow.          5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford.          {Idle pulley} (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to             tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not             used to transmit power.          {Idle wheel} (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others,             to transfer motion from one to the other without changing             the direction of revolution.          {In idle}, in vain. [Obs.] [bd]God saith, thou shalt not take             the name of thy Lord God in idle.[b8] --Chaucer.          Syn: Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent;                sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile;                frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant.          Usage: {Idle}, {Indolent}, {Lazy}. A propensity to inaction                   is expressed by each of these words; they differ in                   the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent                   denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of                   movement or effort; idle is opposed to {busy}, and                   denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a                   stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Idle \I"dle\, v. t.       To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed       by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Idly \I"dly\, adv.       In a idle manner; ineffectually; vainly; lazily; carelessly;       (Obs.) foolishly.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Idol \I"dol\, n. [OE. idole, F. idole, L. idolum, fr. Gr. [?],       fr. [?] that which is seen, the form, shape, figure, fr. [?]       to see. See {Wit}, and cf. {Eidolon}.]       1. An image or representation of anything. [Obs.]                         Do her adore with sacred reverence, As th' idol of                      her maker's great magnificence.         --Spenser.          2. An image of a divinity; a representation or symbol of a             deity or any other being or thing, made or used as an             object of worship; a similitude of a false god.                         That they should not worship devils, and idols of                      gold.                                                --Rev. ix. 20.          3. That on which the affections are strongly (often             excessively) set; an object of passionate devotion; a             person or thing greatly loved or adored.                         The soldier's god and people's idol.   --Denham.          4. A false notion or conception; a fallacy. --Bacon.                         The idols of preconceived opinion.      --Coleridge.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
d8Idolum \[d8]I*do"lum\, d8Idolon \[d8]I*do"lon\, n.; pl.       {Idola}. [L. See {Idol}; cf. {Eidolon}.]       Appearance or image; a phantasm; a spectral image; also, a       mental image or idea.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Idyl \I"dyl\, n. [L. idyllium, Gr. [?], fr. [?] form; literally,       a little form of image: cf. F. idylle. See {Idol}.]       A short poem; properly, a short pastoral poem; as, the idyls       of Theocritus; also, any poem, especially a narrative or       descriptive poem, written in an eleveted and highly finished       style; also, by extension, any artless and easily flowing       description, either in poetry or prose, of simple, rustic       life, of pastoral scenes, and the like. [Written also       {idyll}.]                   Wordsworth's solemn-thoughted idyl.         --Mrs.                                                                               Browning.                   His [Goldsmith's] lovely idyl of the Vicar's home. --F.                                                                               Harrison.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Idyl \I"dyl\, n. [L. idyllium, Gr. [?], fr. [?] form; literally,       a little form of image: cf. F. idylle. See {Idol}.]       A short poem; properly, a short pastoral poem; as, the idyls       of Theocritus; also, any poem, especially a narrative or       descriptive poem, written in an eleveted and highly finished       style; also, by extension, any artless and easily flowing       description, either in poetry or prose, of simple, rustic       life, of pastoral scenes, and the like. [Written also       {idyll}.]                   Wordsworth's solemn-thoughted idyl.         --Mrs.                                                                               Browning.                   His [Goldsmith's] lovely idyl of the Vicar's home. --F.                                                                               Harrison.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Iodal \I"o*dal\, n. [Iod- + alcohol.] (Chem.)       An oily liquid, {Cl3.CHO}, analogous to chloral and bromal.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Iodol \I"o*dol\, n. [Iodo- + pyrrol.] (Chem.)       A crystallized substance of the composition {C4I4NH},       technically tetra-iodo-pyrrol, used like iodoform.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Itala \It"a*la\, n. [Fem. of L. Italus Italian.]       An early Latin version of the Scriptures (the Old Testament       was translated from the Septuagint, and was also called the       {Italic version}).
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Idalou, TX (town, FIPS 35732)       Location: 33.66294 N, 101.68194 W       Population (1990): 2074 (791 housing units)       Area: 2.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)       Zip code(s): 79329
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Ideal, GA (city, FIPS 40812)       Location: 32.37277 N, 84.18891 W       Population (1990): 554 (176 housing units)       Area: 3.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)       Zip code(s): 31041    Ideal, SD       Zip code(s): 57541
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Italy, TX (town, FIPS 37072)       Location: 32.18139 N, 96.88388 W       Population (1990): 1699 (668 housing units)       Area: 2.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)       Zip code(s): 76651
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
IDEAL          1. Ideal DEductive Applicative Language.   A language by Pier       Bosco and Elio Giovannetti combining {Miranda} and {Prolog}.       Function definitions can have a {guard} condition (introduced       by ":-") which is a conjunction of equalities between       arbitrary terms, including functions.   These guards are solved       by normal {Prolog} {resolution} and {unification}.   It was       originally compiled into {C-Prolog} but was eventually to be       compiled to {K-leaf}.          2. A numerical {constraint} language written by Van Wyk of       {Stanford} in 1980 for {typesetting} graphics in documents.       It was inspired partly by {Metafont} and is distributed as       part of {Troff}.          ["A High-Level Language for Specifying Pictures", C.J. Van       Wyk, ACM Trans Graphics 1(2):163-182 (Apr 1982)].          (1994-12-15)
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
ideal          In {domain theory}, a non-empty, {downward closed}       subset which is also closed under binary {least upper bounds}.       I.e. anything less than an element is also an element and the       least upper bound of any two elements is also an element.          (1997-09-26)
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
IDEAL          1. Ideal DEductive Applicative Language.   A language by Pier       Bosco and Elio Giovannetti combining {Miranda} and {Prolog}.       Function definitions can have a {guard} condition (introduced       by ":-") which is a conjunction of equalities between       arbitrary terms, including functions.   These guards are solved       by normal {Prolog} {resolution} and {unification}.   It was       originally compiled into {C-Prolog} but was eventually to be       compiled to {K-leaf}.          2. A numerical {constraint} language written by Van Wyk of       {Stanford} in 1980 for {typesetting} graphics in documents.       It was inspired partly by {Metafont} and is distributed as       part of {Troff}.          ["A High-Level Language for Specifying Pictures", C.J. Van       Wyk, ACM Trans Graphics 1(2):163-182 (Apr 1982)].          (1994-12-15)
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
ideal          In {domain theory}, a non-empty, {downward closed}       subset which is also closed under binary {least upper bounds}.       I.e. anything less than an element is also an element and the       least upper bound of any two elements is also an element.          (1997-09-26)
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
IDL          1. Interactive Data analysis Language.   {Xerox}.   Built on       {Interlisp-D}.          2. {Interface Description Language} (Snodgrass, UNC, Arizona).          3. {Interface Definition Language} ({SunSoft}, {OMG}).          4. {Interactive Data Language} ({Research Systems}).
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
IDOL          Icon-Derived Object Language.   An {object-oriented}       {preprocessor} for {Icon}.          {(ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/pub/languages/icon/idol.tar.Z)}.          ["Programming in Idol: An Object Primer", C.L. Jeffery, U       Arizona CS TR #90-10].
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
ITIL          {Information Technology Infrastructure Library}
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Idalah       snares(?), a city near the west border of Zebulun (Josh. 19:15).       It has been identified with the modern Jeida, in the valley of       Kishon.
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Idol       (1.) Heb. aven, "nothingness;" "vanity" (Isa. 66:3; 41:29; Deut.       32:21; 1 Kings 16:13; Ps. 31:6; Jer. 8:19, etc.).                (2.) 'Elil, "a thing of naught" (Ps. 97:7; Isa. 19:3); a word       of contempt, used of the gods of Noph (Ezek. 30:13).                (3.) 'Emah, "terror," in allusion to the hideous form of idols       (Jer. 50:38).                (4.) Miphletzeth, "a fright;" "horror" (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chr.       15:16).                (5.) Bosheth, "shame;" "shameful thing" (Jer. 11:13; Hos.       9:10); as characterizing the obscenity of the worship of Baal.                (6.) Gillulim, also a word of contempt, "dung;" "refuse"       (Ezek. 16:36; 20:8; Deut. 29:17, marg.).                (7.) Shikkuts, "filth;" "impurity" (Ezek. 37:23; Nah. 3:6).                (8.) Semel, "likeness;" "a carved image" (Deut. 4:16).                (9.) Tselem, "a shadow" (Dan. 3:1; 1 Sam. 6:5), as       distinguished from the "likeness," or the exact counterpart.                (10.) Temunah, "similitude" (Deut. 4:12-19). Here Moses       forbids the several forms of Gentile idolatry.                (11.) 'Atsab, "a figure;" from the root "to fashion," "to       labour;" denoting that idols are the result of man's labour       (Isa. 48:5; Ps. 139:24, "wicked way;" literally, as some       translate, "way of an idol").                (12.) Tsir, "a form;" "shape" (Isa. 45:16).                (13.) Matztzebah, a "statue" set up (Jer. 43:13); a memorial       stone like that erected by Jacob (Gen. 28:18; 31:45; 35:14, 20),       by Joshua (4:9), and by Samuel (1 Sam. 7:12). It is the name       given to the statues of Baal (2 Kings 3:2; 10:27).                (14.) Hammanim, "sun-images." Hamman is a synonym of Baal, the       sun-god of the Phoenicians (2 Chr. 34:4, 7; 14:3, 5; Isa. 17:8).                (15.) Maskith, "device" (Lev. 26:1; Num. 33:52). In Lev. 26:1,       the words "image of stone" (A.V.) denote "a stone or cippus with       the image of an idol, as Baal, Astarte, etc." In Ezek. 8:12,       "chambers of imagery" (maskith), are "chambers of which the       walls are painted with the figures of idols;" comp. ver. 10, 11.                (16.) Pesel, "a graven" or "carved image" (Isa. 44:10-20). It       denotes also a figure cast in metal (Deut. 7:25; 27:15; Isa.       40:19; 44:10).                (17.) Massekah, "a molten image" (Deut. 9:12; Judg. 17:3, 4).                (18.) Teraphim, pl., "images," family gods (penates)       worshipped by Abram's kindred (Josh. 24:14). Put by Michal in       David's bed (Judg. 17:5; 18:14, 17, 18, 20; 1 Sam. 19:13).                "Nothing can be more instructive and significant than this       multiplicity and variety of words designating the instruments       and inventions of idolatry."
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Italy       Acts 18:2; 27:1, 6; Heb. 13:24), like most geographical names,       was differently used at different periods of history. As the       power of Rome advanced, nations were successively conquered and       added to it till it came to designate the whole country to the       south of the Alps. There was constant intercourse between       Palestine and Italy in the time of the Romans.
From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:
Idalah, the hand of slander, or of cursing
From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:
Italy, abounding with calves or heifers
From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:
Ithiel, sign, or coming of God
From The CIA World Factbook (1995) [world95]:
Italy       Italy:Geography       Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central    Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia       Map references: Europe       Area:    total area: 301,230 sq km    land area: 294,020 sq km    comparative area: slightly larger than Arizona    note: includes Sardinia and Sicily       Land boundaries: total 1,899.2 km, Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy    See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km,    Switzerland 740 km       Coastline: 4,996 km       Maritime claims:    continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation    territorial sea: 12 nm       International disputes: none       Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in    south       Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands       Natural resources: mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural    gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal       Land use:    arable land: 32%    permanent crops: 10%    meadows and pastures: 17%    forest and woodland: 22%    other: 19%       Irrigated land: 31,000 sq km (1989 est.)       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    natural hazards: regional risks include landslides, mudflows,    avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence    in Venice    international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air    Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, 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; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur    94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental    Protocol, Desertification       Note: strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as    southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe       Italy:People       Population: 58,261,971 (July 1995 est.)       Age structure:    0-14 years: 15% (female 4,352,325; male 4,603,083)    15-64 years: 68% (female 19,969,086; male 19,874,528)    65 years and over: 17% (female 5,630,747; male 3,832,202) (July 1995    est.)       Population growth rate: 0.21% (1995 est.)       Birth rate: 10.89 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)       Death rate: 9.78 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)       Net migration rate: 1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)       Infant mortality rate: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)       Life expectancy at birth:    total population: 77.85 years    male: 74.67 years    female: 81.23 years (1995 est.)       Total fertility rate: 1.41 children born/woman (1995 est.)       Nationality:    noun: Italian(s)    adjective: Italian       Ethnic divisions: Italian (includes small clusters of German-,    French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and    Greek-Italians in the south), Sicilians, Sardinians       Religions: Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%       Languages: Italian, 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)       Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)    total population: 97%    male: 98%    female: 96%       Labor force: 23.988 million    by occupation: services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)       Italy:Government       Names:    conventional long form: Italian Republic    conventional short form: Italy    local long form: Repubblica Italiana    local short form: Italia    former: Kingdom of Italy       Digraph: IT       Type: republic       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 (referred to in Italy as the    President of the Council of Ministers) Lamberto DINI (since 1 February    1995)    cabinet: Council of Ministers; nominated by the President of the    Council (i.e., Prime Minister) and approved by the President of the    Republic       Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlamento)    Senate (Senato della Repubblica): elections last held 27-28 March 1994    (next must be held by spring 1999, but may be held by end of 1995);    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, Italian Popular Party 31,    Communist Refoundation 18, Greens and The Network 13, Italian    Socialists 13, Christian Democratic Center 12, Democratic Alliance 8,    Christian Socialists 5, Pact for Italy 4, Radical Party (Pannella    List) 1, others 5    Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati): elections last held 27-28    March 1994 (next must be held by spring 1999, but may be held by end    of 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (630 total)    Northern League 117, PDS 114, Forza Italia 113, National Alliance 109,    Communist Refoundation 39, Christian Democratic Center 33, Italian    Popular Party 33, Greens and The Network 20, Democratic Alliance 18,    Italian Socialists 16, Pact for Italy 13, Christian Socialists 5       Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)       Political parties and leaders: Forza Italia (FI), Silvio BERLUSCONI;    National Alliance, Gianfranco FINI, party secretary; Northern League -    Federal Italy (NL), Umberto BOSSI, president; Italian Social Movement,    Pino RAUTI; Democratic Party of the Left (PDS, Massimo D'ALEMA,    secretary; Communist Refoundation (RC), Fausto BERTINOTTI; Greens,    Gianni MATTIOLI; Italian Socialists, Ottaviano DELTURCO; Rete (The    Network), Leoluca ORLANDO; Christian Socialists, Ermanno GORRIERI;    Pact for Italy, Mario SEGNI; Italian Popular Party (PPI), Rocco    BUTTIGLIONE, Gerardo BIANCO; Christian Democratic Center (CCD), Pier    Ferdinando CASINI; Union of the Democratic Center (UDC), Raffaele    COSTA; Pannella List, Marco PANNELLA       Other political or pressure groups: the Roman Catholic Church; three    major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del    Lavoro or CGIL which is PDS-dominated, Confederazione Italiana dei    Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL which is centerist, and Unione Italiana    del Lavoro or UIL which is center-left); Italian manufacturers and    merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm    groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)       Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CDB    (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-    7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,    IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,    IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG,    OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,    UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNOMOZ, 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    consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los    Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco    consulate(s): Detroit and New Orleans       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) 4882672    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       Economy       Overview: Since World War II the Italian economy has changed from one    based on agriculture into a ranking industrial economy, with    approximately the same total and per capita output as France and the    UK. The country is still divided into a developed industrial north,    dominated by private companies, and an undeveloped agricultural south,    dominated by large public enterprises. Services account for 48% of    GDP, industry 35%, agriculture 4%, and public administration 13%. Most    raw materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements    must be imported. After growing at an average annual rate of 3% in    1983-90, growth slowed to about 1% in 1991 and 1992, fell by 0.7% in    1993, and recovered to 2% in 1994. In the second half of 1992, Rome    became unsettled by the prospect of not qualifying to participate in    EU plans for economic and monetary union later in the decade; thus it    finally began to address its huge fiscal imbalances. Subsequently, the    government has adopted fairly stringent budgets, abandoned its highly    inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its    extremely generous social welfare programs, including pension and    health care benefits. Monetary officials were forced to withdraw the    lira from the European monetary system in September 1992 when it came    under extreme pressure in currency markets. For the 1990s, Italy faces    the problems of pushing ahead with fiscal reform, refurbishing a    tottering communications system, curbing pollution in major industrial    centers, and adjusting to the new competitive forces accompanying the    ongoing expansion and economic integration of the European Union.       National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $998.9 billion (1994    est.)       National product real growth rate: 2.2% (1994 est.)       National product per capita: $17,180 (1994 est.)       Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1994)       Unemployment rate: 12.2% (January 1995)       Budget:    revenues: $339 billion    expenditures: $431 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA    (1994 est.)       Exports: $190.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994)    commodities: metals, textiles and clothing, production machinery,    motor vehicles, transportation equipment, chemicals, other    partners: EU 53.4%, US 7.8%, OPEC 3.8% (1994)       Imports: $168.7 billion (c.i.f., 1994)    commodities: industrial machinery, chemicals, transport equipment,    petroleum, metals, food, agricultural products    partners: EU 56.3%, OPEC 5.3%, US 4.6% (1994)       External debt: $67 billion (1993 est.)       Industrial production: growth rate 4.3% (1994 est.); accounts for 35%    of GDP       Electricity:    capacity: 61,630,000 kW    production: 209 billion kWh    consumption per capita: 4,033 kWh (1993)       Industries: machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing,    textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics       Agriculture: accounts for about 4% of GDP; self-sufficient in foods    other than meat, dairy products, and cereals; principal crops -    fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain,    olives; fish catch of 525,000 metric tons in 1990       Illicit drugs: important gateway country for Latin American cocaine    and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market       Economic aid:    donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $25.9 billion       Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi       Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,609.5 (January 1995),    1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4 (1992), 1,240.6 (1991),    1,198.1 (1990)       Fiscal year: calendar year       Italy:Transportation       Railroads:    total: 19,503 km    standard gauge: 18,230 km 1.435-m gauge (10,499 km electrified; 2,112    km privately owned)    narrow gauge: 1,273 km 0.950-m to 1.000-m gauge (224 km electrified;    1,273 km privately owned)       Highways:    total: 305,388 km    paved: 277,388 km (6,940 km of expressways)    unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 23,000 km; earth 5,000 km (1992)       Inland waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial traffic,    although of limited overall value       Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural    gas 19,400 km       Ports: Ancona, Augusta, Bari, Cagliari (Sardinia), Catania, Gaeta,    Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples, Oristano (Sardinia), Palermo    (Sicily), Piombino, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Ravenna, Savona, Trieste,    Venice       Merchant marine:    total: 441 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,767,969 GRT/8,547,221    DWT    ships by type: bulk 40, cargo 62, chemical tanker 34, combination    ore/oil 3, container 18, liquefied gas tanker 37, multifunction    large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 136, passenger 7, roll-on/roll-off    cargo 54, short-sea passenger 30, specialized tanker 11, vehicle    carrier 8       Airports:    total: 138    with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5    with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 34    with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15    with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 26    with paved runways under 914 m: 34    with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2    with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 22       Italy:Communications       Telephone system: 25,600,000 telephones; modern, well-developed, fast;    fully automated telephone, telex, and data services    local: NA    intercity: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks    international: international service by 21 submarine cables, 3    satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT with 3 Atlantic Ocean    antennas and 2 Indian Ocean antennas; also participates in INMARSAT    and EUTELSAT systems       Radio:    broadcast stations: AM 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840), shortwave 0    radios: 16 million       Television:    broadcast stations: 83 (repeaters 1,000)    televisions: 18 million       Italy:Defense Forces       Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri       Manpower availability: males age 15-49 14,934,657; males fit for    military service 12,962,594; males reach military age (18) annually    382,142 (1995 est.)       Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $21.5 billion, 2% of    GDP (1994)