Italy Travel Guide - Facts on Italy

History

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the European Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Public safety issues, rules and regulations, crime information, tips on driving, facts about health care in Italy and other Tourist Tips for traveling in Italy can be found at our page Italy Travel Information.

Geography

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Location

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Geographic Coordinates

42 50 N, 12 50 E

Area

Total: 301,230 sq km
Note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Water: 7,210 sq km
Land: 294,020 sq km

Area - Comparative

Slightly larger than Arizona

Land Boundaries

Total: 1,932.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km

Coastline

7,600 km

Climate

Predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Terrain

Mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Elevation Extremes

Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a Secondary peak of Mont Blanc)

Natural Resources

Mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land

Geography Note

Strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

Natural hazards

Regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

People

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Population

58,147,733 (July 2007 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,147,149/female 3,899,980)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 19,527,203/female 19,059,897)
65 years and over: 19.9% (male 4,823,244/female 6,741,172) (2007 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Italian(s)
Adjective: Italian

Ethnic Groups

Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

Religions

Predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community

Language

Italian (official), 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

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6%

Government		Top of Page
Country Name	Conventional long form: Italian Republic Conventional short form: Italy Local long form: Repubblica Italiana Former: Kingdom of Italy Local short form: Italia
Government Type	Republic
Capital	Rome
Administrative Divisions	15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions* (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna (Sardinia), Sicilia, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto
Independence	17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)
Flag Description	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: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797
Economy		Top of Page
Overview	Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficit has breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced almost low growth in 2006, and unemployment remained at a high level.
Currency	Euro
Currency Code	Eur
Communications		Top of Page
Telephone System	General assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services
Internet Country Code	.it
Transportation		Top of Page
Railways	total: 19,460 km standard gauge: 18,038 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified) narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (122 km electrified); 1,299 km 0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways	total: 484,688 km paved: 484,688 km (including 6,621km of expressways) (2004)
Waterways	2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2004)
Ports and Terminals	Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Melilli Oil Terminal, Ravenna, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
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	Italy Travel Guide: Facts on Italy
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Facts on Italy