Italian industry and its specialization

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Industry of Italy is the leading branch of the state economy. This direction accounts for more than 28% of the total local GDP. Moreover, almost half of all working residents are involved here. If we talk about the sectoral structure of Italian industry, then 76% of it is the manufacturing sector.

Engineering

The Italian engineering industry is considered one of the most important and most dynamic sectors of the country's economy. More recently, its main centers were Turin, Milan and Genoa. Currently, this sphere has spread to other regions of the state. Now significant machine-building capacities are located in Florence, Venice, Bologna and Trieste. The automotive industry has become a key direction in this industry. Every year, the state produces about two million cars, as well as a huge number of mopeds, motorcycles and bicycles. The Fiat concern plays a leading role here. Its headquarters is located in the city of Turin, and its production facilities arein almost all regions of the country. The Lombard cities, Naples and Turin have established aviation production, while the Italian shipbuilding industry is concentrated in Genoa, Livorno, La Spezia and Trieste.

Power generation

Annually, the state produces about 190 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Almost 65% of this amount falls on thermal power plants, which are located in the largest cities. They function both on their own and on imported raw materials. A little less than one third of the electricity is generated by hydroelectric power plants built on the Alpine rivers. The entire remaining share falls on objects from the field of alternative energy. An interesting feature of the industry is that not a single nuclear power plant operates in the state, which was the result of a national referendum held in 1987.

Oil industry

The country is quite poor in minerals, including black gold. Here it is mined in small quantities (total about 1.5 million tons per year) in Lombardy, Sicily and on the shelf of the Adriatic Sea. The specialization of such an industry in Italy as oil refining on imported raw materials does not prevent it from being ahead of other Western European states in volumes. Most of the factories that operate in the sphere are concentrated in the port areas. It is here that raw materials come from the Middle East, Russia and some North African countries. However, thanks to the developed network of oil pipelinessuch enterprises operate successfully in other regions as well.

Metallurgy

The metallurgical industry of Italy does not have its own raw materials sources either. Similar to the industries mentioned above, the sphere is focused on imports, so its key enterprises are concentrated in the area of large ports. Ferrous metallurgy processing plants operate mainly in large industrial cities, where scrap metal accumulates in significant volumes. The country annually smelts about 250 thousand tons of aluminum and about 25 million tons of steel. Combines are oriented towards them, which are located near sources of electricity - Alpine hydroelectric power plants.

Light industry

Far from the largest, but extremely important branch of the economy of the state is the light industry of Italy. It is represented, as a rule, by small companies scattered throughout the territory. The country has become one of the world leaders in the production of woolen fabrics, second only to China in this indicator. The textile industry is at a high level of development, the main production facilities of which are concentrated in the northern regions - Piedmont and Lombardy. The northwestern regions of the state, in particular Tuscany, Marche and Veneto, are the centers of the shoe, leather and clothing industries. One of the few areas that is characterized by constant growth is the food industry, which operates both on imported and on its own raw materials. The volume of production here annually increases byan average of 3%. The specialization of Italian industry in this direction is largely associated with the production of olive oil. The country accounts for about one-third of its production worldwide.

Chemical industry

Initially, the production of chemical products in Italy originated in Lombardy. This can explain the fact that it is here that most of the factories and enterprises specializing in this area of activity are now located. The industry operates mainly on imported oil, phosphorites, cellulose, sulfur and other raw materials. In the area of the city of Trieste, petrochemical enterprises are concentrated in the northeast, and companies engaged in the production of mineral fertilizers are concentrated in the south. The international specialization of Italian industry in the field of chemistry is mainly associated with the production of polymers and synthetic fibers. The production of traditional inorganic substances - pesticides, nitric and sulfuric acids, chlorine, and caustic soda is at a fairly high level of development.

Sale of the industry's products is primarily focused on meeting the needs of its own industry. At the same time, part of it is exported to the United States and countries of the so-called common market.

Conclusion

This article about Italian industry briefly describes only its main industries. In many other areas of activity, since the post-war years, the state has also made significantbreakthrough. Among them, the electrical and furniture industries, the production of luxury goods, weapons, and the bioindustry should be noted.