Italy-Facts

General Facts

Population: 58,126,212 (2009 estimate)
Language: Italian (official); German, French, Slovene
GDP: $1.786 trillion
Currency: Euro
Capital: Rome
Time: UTC +1; UTC +2 in summer
Religion: 90% of population is Roman Catholic; Protestant, Jewish, and Islamic minorities

History

The Etruscans, the first people of the country we now know as Italy, may have been Indo-Europeans who migrated from Asia Minor.  Traces of their civilization remain as artwork, including tomb frescoes, pottery, and statues which were influenced by the art of the nearby Greeks.  Some Greeks settled in the southern part of the peninsula as well as Sicily during the 8th through 3rd century BC. The Romans took over by 264 BC, and Italy was under their rule until the Roman Empire was taken out by barbarian invasions in the 4th and 5th centuries AD. Rivalries between city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, fragmented Italy politically for centuries during the late Middle Ages.  Central Italy was ruled by the Popes of Rome, who often had conflict with the Holy Roman Emperors. 

During the Renaissance, which lasted from the 13th to the 16th century, Italy become the cultural leader of the Western world.  Thanks to the Renaissance, the politically disjointed peninsula became more unified and gave more of a national identity to its people. The War of the Spanish Succession in 1713 saw Milan, Naples, and Sardinia handed over to Austria.  Napoleon unified Italy after he crowned himself King of Italy in 1805, but by 1815, Italy was once again divided by Austria. In 1866, when papal Rome was annexed, Italy had finally become unified once more under a monarchy led by proclaimed King Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy. Italy joined the side of the Allied forces in World War I against Germany and Austria-Hungary.  In the post-war settlement, Italy only received a small portion of land near the Austrian border. 

Vatican City became its own independent, sovereign entity with the Lateran Pacts of 1929.  Roman Catholicism was the official religion of the country until that ended with the Lateran Pacts as well. Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini took control of Italy in 1922 after organizing unhappy Italians who were upset about the aftermath of World War I.  Italy became allied with Germany and its dictator Adolf Hitler, but Mussolini's was ousted from power after being overthrown in 1943 when the Allied forces invaded Italy. 
After the war, Italy was required to return their colonies and claims in Ethiopia, Greece, and give up land to France.  Italy rebuilt its economy following the war, and joined NATO and the European Economic Community, which is known today as the EU.  In the 1980s and 90s, corruption, scandal, and instability hurt the country's government  Italy gave up their monetary unit, the lira, and adopted the Euro in 2002.  Italy aided its NATO partners during the Kosovo conflict, and today has a more stable government and economy under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Demographics 

Italy is fairly homogenous, with the vast majority people of Italian decent, with small groups of German, French, Albanian, Greek, and Slovene people.  Although the country is predominantly Roman Catholic, all religions are protected by law under the Italian constitution.

Geography

Italy is a long peninsula, often referred to as "the boot" because of its shape.  The peninsula is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and by several islands, including Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, and Vatican City.

The Italian peninsula is predominantly rugged and mountainous with some plains and lowlands along the coast.  The Alps form the northern border of Italy, while the Apennine Mountains run along the peninsula.

Active volcanoes are present in Italy, most notably Etna, which is the second largest in Europe.  Others include Vulcano, Stromboli, and Vesuvius, which completely wiped out the city of Pompeii when it erupted in 79 AD.

Italy is home to several lakes in the north, including Garda, the largest.  The main river running through the Italian peninsula is the Po, which flows from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. 
 

Climate

The climate of Italy is fairly diverse.  Because of its vast coastline, most of the country south of Florence has a mild, Mediterranean climate.  In general, the weather is warm in Italy from July until September.

The northern inland area, such as Turin and Milan, has a continental climate.  The climate is Alpine in the far north near the Alps, which can see colder temperatures and snow.  Conversely, it can be very hot and dry in the lowland valleys of the south, where hot winds from Africa can keep the temperature in the high 30 degrees Celsius in August.