Italian Republic Repubblica Italiana (Italian) | |
---|---|
Anthem: "Il Canto degli Italiani" "The Song of the Italians" | |
Capital and largest city | Rome 41°54′N 12°29′E / 41.900°N 12.483°E |
Official languages | Italiana |
Nationality (2021)[1] |
|
Native languages | See main article |
Religion (2020)[2] |
|
Demonym(s) | Italian |
Government | Unitary parliamentary republic |
Sergio Mattarella | |
Giorgia Meloni | |
Ignazio La Russa | |
Lorenzo Fontana | |
Legislature | Parliament |
Senate of the Republic | |
Chamber of Deputies | |
Formation | |
17 March 1861 | |
• Republic | 12 June 1946 |
1 January 1948 | |
Area | |
• Total | 301,340[3][4] km2 (116,350 sq mi) (71st) |
• Water (%) | 1.24 (2015)[5] |
Population | |
• 2024 estimate | 58,968,501[6] (25th) |
• Density | 195.7/km2 (506.9/sq mi) (71st) |
GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $3.597 trillion[7] (13th) |
• Per capita | $60,992[7] (30th) |
GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $2.376 trillion[7] (8th) |
• Per capita | $40,286[7] (26th) |
Gini (2020) | 32.5[8] medium inequality |
HDI (2022) | 0.906[9] very high (30th) |
Currency | Euro (€)b (EUR) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Calling code | +39c |
ISO 3166 code | IT |
Internet TLD | .it |
|
Italy,[a] officially the Italian Republic,[b] is a country in Southern[12] and Western[13][c] Europe. It consists of a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land border, as well as nearly 800 islands, notably Sicily and Sardinia.[15] Italy shares its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and two enclaves: Vatican City and San Marino. It is the tenth-largest country in Europe by area, covering 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi),[3] and third-most populous member state of the European Union, with a population of nearly 60 million.[16] Italy's capital and largest city is Rome; other major urban areas include Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo, Bologna, Florence, Genoa, and Venice.
The history of Italy goes back to numerous ancient Italian peoples, notably including the Romans, who conquered the Mediterranean world during the Roman Republic and ruled it for centuries during the Roman Empire.[17] With the spread of Christianity, Rome became the seat of the Catholic Church and the Papacy. Between late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Italy experienced the arrival of Germanic tribes and the fall of the Western Roman Empire. By the 11th century, Italian city-states and maritime republics expanded, bringing renewed prosperity through commerce and laying the groundwork for modern capitalism.[18][19] The Italian Renaissance flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries and spread to the rest of Europe. Italian explorers discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World, contributing significantly to the European Age of Discovery. However, centuries of rivalry and infighting between city-states left the peninsula divided.[20]
After centuries of political and territorial divisions, Italy was almost entirely unified in 1861, following wars of independence and the Expedition of the Thousand, establishing the Kingdom of Italy.[21] From the late 19th to the early 20th century, Italy rapidly industrialised, mainly in the north, and acquired a colonial empire,[22] while the south remained largely impoverished, fueling a large immigrant diaspora to the Americas.[23] From 1915 to 1918, Italy took part in World War I with the Entente against the Central Powers. In 1922, the Italian fascist dictatorship was established. During World War II, Italy was first part of the Axis until its surrender to the Allied powers (1940–1943), then a co-belligerent of the Allies during the Italian resistance and the liberation of Italy (1943–1945). Following the war, the monarchy was replaced by a republic and the country enjoyed a strong recovery.[24]
A developed country, Italy has the ninth-largest nominal GDP in the world, the second-largest manufacturing industry in Europe,[25] and plays a significant role in regional[26] and global[27] economic, military, cultural, and diplomatic affairs. Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union, and is part of numerous international institutions, including NATO, the G7 and G20, the Latin Union and the Union for the Mediterranean. As a cultural superpower, Italy has long been a renowned global centre of art, music, literature, cuisine, fashion, science and technology, and the source of multiple inventions and discoveries.[28] It has the world's highest number of World Heritage Sites (60), and is the fifth-most visited country.
list of Western European countries Italy.
list of Western European countries Italy.
Italy homeland of the Romans.
At its peak, just before WWII, the Italian Empire comprehended the territories of present time Italy, Albania, Rhodes, Dodecanese, Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the majority of Somalia and the little concession of Tientsin in China
The United States is the sole world's superpower. France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom are great powers; Sterio, Milena (2013). The right to self-determination under international law: "selfistans", secession and the rule of the great powers. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. xii (preface). ISBN 978-0-4156-6818-7. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
The great powers are super-sovereign states: an exclusive club of the most powerful states economically, militarily, politically and strategically. These states include veto-wielding members of the United Nations Security Council (United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia), as well as economic powerhouses such as Germany, Italy and Japan.
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