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imported. In 1971 the 680,500 motor vehicles exported consisted of 640,190 passenger gars, 38,440 trucks, and 1,870 buses; 395,700 passenger cars, 14,508 trucks, and 362 buses were imported. Italy is also an important manufacturer of road construction and maintenance equipment; large quantities are exported, and some special purpose types are imported.

E. Inland waterways (C)

Inland waterways play a minimal part in the economy, but their importance should increase within the next decade upon completion of an extensive waterway development and improvement program now underway. Waterway traffic amounted to 4,070,000 short tons in 1971. Principal commodities hauled were sand and gravel, petroleum products, ore, construction materials, fertilizers, and agricultural products. The waterway network is only marginally adequate for normal requirements.

The inland waterway system provides a total of 1,538 miles of navigable routes; 702 miles are rivers, 529 miles are canals, and 307 miles are lake routes. In terms of navigability based on the largest barge that the waterways can accommodate, this mileage is classified as follows:

The waterways are concentrated almost entirely in the northeastern section of the country and consist mostly of land-cut canals and improved natural streams. On the Tyrrhenian seacoast, four short canals serve Pisa, Livorno, and Viareggio. Except for the Viareggio to Vecchiano canal, which carries about 700,000 short tons annually, none are significant. Further to the south, the Tiber River between Rome and Fiumicino on the coast is classified as a navigable inland waterway, but it carries virtually no commercial traffic. In northern Italy near the base of the Alps, four large lakes, Maggione, Como, Iseo, and Garda, supply the remainder of the Italian waterway routes. Lago Maggiore provides an international connection with Switzerland.

Of the 1,538 navigable miles, some 935 miles of principal routes are discussed below. Their selection has been based on the length of the routes and their navigability, annual tonnages, and overall importance to the national network. The selected routes and their lengths in miles are as follows:

The Po and its navigable tributaries form the nucleus of the Italian inland waterway system and provide 384 miles of routes through the rich agricultural and industrial regions of northern Italy. Its tributaries are the Mincio, Oglio, Ticino, and Adda rivers. The system, by direct or indirect connections, enables vessels to operate from Milan, Pavia, Manitoba, and Cremona to Ferrara, Venice, and Sdobba near Trieste. The river is navigable for 171 miles by vessels of 1,485-short-ton capacity from one of its several mouths at Pila, on the Adriatic Sea, to Cremona. The 33-mile segment between Cremona and Piacenza is usable by 660-ton craft, and the final 56 miles of the Po proper to its upstream limit of navigation at Gerola Nuova are navigable by 330-ton vessels. The only lock on the Po is about midway between Cremona and Piacenza, but some 25 bridges cross the waterway. These have vertical and horizontal underbridge clearances adequate for vessels now using the waterway. Of the tributaries, the 25 miles of the westernmost Ticino river connect the Po with Pavia and with the Milan canal system, but because of inadequate depths and numerous small locks, relatively little tonnage is moved over the route. The Adda river provides about 15 miles of waterway between Formigara and the confluence with the Po upstream from Cremona. There are no locks and only two bridges on this segment, which, although shallow, carries a fair amount of traffic. The Oglio river, which joins the Po at mile 118, is navigable for 100-ton craft for 41 miles to Canneto sull' Oglio. It has no locks, but there are numerous bridges. The Mincio, which is usable for 13 miles from the Po to the important city of Mantova, is the most important of the Po tributaries and is navigable by 1,485-ton craft. Its structures consist of two locks and six bridges. Petroleum products account for about 75% of the cargo handled.

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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4