Italy
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226049196
2008-07-16T16:31:00Z
Mkpumphrey
3443016
/* Unification */
{{otheruses}}
{{redirect|Italia|other uses of the name "Italia"|Italia (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Italian Republic|the Napoleonic state of 1802–1805|Italian Republic (Napoleonic)}}
{{Infobox Country
|native_name = Repubblica Italiana
|conventional_long_name = Italian Republic
|common_name = Italy
|image_flag = Flag of Italy.svg
|image_coat = Italy-Emblem.svg
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|image_map = Location Italy EU Europe.png
|map_caption = {{map_caption |location_color=dark green |region=[[Europe]] |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the [[European Union]] |subregion_color=light green |legend=Location Italy EU Europe.png}}
|national_motto =
|national_anthem = ''[[Il Canto degli Italiani]]''<br /><small>(also known as ''Inno di Mameli'')</small><br />''The Song of the Italians''
|official_languages = [[Italian language|Italian]]{{smallsup|1}}
|capital = [[Rome]]
|latd=41 |latm=54 |latNS=N |longd=12 |longm=29 |longEW=E
|largest_city = capital
|demonym = [[Italians|Italian]]
|government_type = [[Parliamentary republic]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of the Italian Republic|President]]
|leader_name1 = [[Giorgio Napolitano]]
|leader_title2 = [[President of the Council of Ministers of Italy|Prime Minister]]
|leader_name2 = [[Silvio Berlusconi]]
|accessionEUdate = [[25 March]] [[1957]] (founding member)
|EUseats = 78
|area_rank = 71st
|area_magnitude = 1 E11
|area_km2 = 301,318
|area_sq_mi = 116,346.5 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|percent_water = 2.4
|population_estimate = 59,619,290<ref>[http://www.istat.it/salastampa/comunicati/in_calendario/bildem/20080703_00/]</ref>
|population_estimate_rank = 23rd
|population_estimate_year = October 2007
|population_census = 57,110,144
|population_census_year = October 2001
|population_density_km2 = 197.6
|population_density_rank = 54th
|population_density_sq_mi = 511.7 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|GDP_PPP = $1.888 trillion<ref>[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2004&ey=2008&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=59&pr1.y=10&c=136&s=PPPGDP&grp=0&a= Report for Selected Countries and Subjects]</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank = 8th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2007
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $32,319<ref>[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2004&ey=2008&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=58&pr1.y=8&c=136&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= Report for Selected Countries and Subjects]</ref>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 20th
|GDP_nominal = $2.067 trillion<ref>[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2004&ey=2008&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=44&pr1.y=10&c=136&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a= Report for Selected Countries and Subjects:]</ref>
|GDP_nominal_rank = 7th
|GDP_nominal_year = 2007
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $35,386<ref>[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2004&ey=2008&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=43&pr1.y=12&c=136&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a= Report for Selected Countries and Subjects:]</ref>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 21st
|sovereignty_type = [[Italian unification|Formation]]
|established_event1 = [[Italian unification|Unification]]
|established_date1 = [[17 March]] [[1861]]
|established_event2 = [[Birth of the Italian Republic|Republic]]
|established_date2 = [[2 June]] [[1946]]
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.941
|HDI_rank = 20th
|HDI_year = 2005
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#090;">high</span>
|currency = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]]){{smallsup|2}}
|currency_code = EUR
|country_code =
|time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|cctld = [[.it]]{{smallsup|3}}
|calling_code = 39
|Gini = 36
|Gini_year = 2000
|Gini_category = <span style="color:#ffcc00;">medium</span>
|footnote1 = [[French language|French]] is co-official in the [[Aosta Valley]]; [[Friulian language|Friulian]] is co-official in [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]]; [[German language|German]] and [[Ladin]] are co-official in the [[province of Bolzano-Bozen]]; [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]] is co-official in [[Sardinia]].
|footnote2 = Before 2002, the [[Italian lira|Italian Lira]]. The euro is accepted in [[Campione d'Italia]] (but the official currency is the [[Swiss Franc]]).<ref>[http://www.comune.campione-d-italia.co.it/ Comune di Campione d'Italia]</ref>
|footnote3 = The [[.eu]] domain is also used, as it is shared with other [[European Union]] member states.
}}
'''Italy''' ({{lang-it|Italia}}), officially the '''Italian Republic''', ({{lang-it|Repubblica Italiana}}), is located on the [[Italian Peninsula]] in [[Southern Europe]], and on the two largest islands in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], [[Sicily]] and [[Sardinia]]. Italy shares its northern [[Alps|Alpine]] [[border|boundary]] with [[France]], [[Switzerland]], [[Austria]] and [[Slovenia]]. The independent states of [[San Marino]] and the [[Vatican City]] are [[enclave]]s within the Italian Peninsula, while [[Campione d'Italia]] is an Italian [[exclave]] in Switzerland.
Italy has been the home of many [[European culture]]s, such as the [[Etruscans]] and the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], and later was the birthplace of the movement of the [[Renaissance]], that began in [[Tuscany]] and spread all over Europe. Italy's capital [[Rome]] was for centuries the center of [[Western world|Western civilization]], it also spawned the [[Baroque]] movement and seats the [[Catholic Church]].
Today, Italy is a democratic republic and a [[developed country]] with the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|20th highest GDP per capita]], the 8th-highest [[Quality-of-life index]],<ref>[http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf Quality-of-life Survey], [[The Economist]]</ref> and the 20th-highest [[Human Development Index]] rating in the world. It is a founding member of what is now the [[European Union]] (having signed the [[Treaty of Rome]] in 1957), and also a member of the [[G8]] (having the world's 7th largest nominal GDP), [[NATO]], [[OECD]], the [[Council of Europe]], the [[Western European Union]], the [[Central European Initiative]], and a [[Schengen Agreement|Schengen]] state. On [[January 1]] [[2007]], Italy began a two year term as a [[List of elected members of the United Nations Security Council|non-permanent member]] of the [[United Nations Security Council]].
==Etymology==
The origin of the term "Italy" (It: ''Italia''), from Latin ''Italia'',<ref>[[Oxford Latin Dictionary|OLD]], p. 974: "first syll. naturally short (cf. [[Quintilian|Quint.]]''Inst.''1.5.18), and so scanned in <span style="font-variant:small-caps">[[Gaius Lucilius|Lucil.]]</span>825, but in dactylic verse lengthened ''metri gratia''."</ref> is uncertain. According to one of the more common explanations, the term was borrowed through [[Ancient Greek|Greek]], from [[Oscan language|Oscan]] ''Víteliú'', meaning "land of young cattle" (cf. [[Latin|Lat]] ''vitulus'' "calf", [[Umbrian language|Umb]] ''vitlo'' "calf") and named for the god of cattle, [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]].<ref>Mallory, J.P. and D.Q. Adams, ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture''. London: Fitzroy and Dearborn, 1997: p. 24</ref> The bull was a symbol of the southern Italian tribes and is often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the [[Samnite Wars]].
The name ''Italia'' applied to a part of what is now [[southern Italy]]. According to [[Antiochus of Syracuse]], it originally only referred to the southern portion of the [[Bruttium]] peninsula (modern [[Calabria]]), but by his time [[Oenotria]]ns and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of [[Lucania]] as well. The Greeks gradually came to use the name "Italia" for a greater region, but it was not until the time of the Roman conquests that the term was expanded to cover the entire peninsula.<ref>Guillotining, M., History of Earliest Italy, trans. Ryle, M & Soper, K. in Jerome Lectures, Seventeenth Series, p.50</ref>
==History==
{{main|History of Italy}}
===Prehistory to Roman Empire===
[[Image:Roman Colosseum With Moon.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Colosseum]] in Rome, perhaps the most enduring symbol of Italy]]
Excavations throughout Italy reveal a modern human presence dating back to the [[Palaeolithic]] period some 200,000 years ago.<ref>Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers 2001, ch. 2. ISBN 0306464632.</ref> In the 8th and 7th centuries BC [[Greek colonies]] were established all along [[Sicily]] and the southern part of the Italian Peninsula. Subsequently Romans refereed to this area as ''[[Magna Graecia]]'' as it was so densely inhabited by [[Greeks]].<ref>Luca Cerchiai, Lorena Jannelli, Fausto Longo, Lorena Janelli, 2004. ''The Greek Cities of Magna Graecia and Sicily'' (Getty Trust) ISBN 0-89236-751-2</ref><ref>T. J. Dunbabin, 1948. ''The Western Greeks''</ref><ref>A. G. Woodhead, 1962. ''The Greeks in the West''</ref>
Ancient [[Rome]] at first a small agricultural community founded circa 8th century BC grew the next centuries into a colossal [[Roman empire|empire]] encompassing the whole [[Mediterranean Sea]], in which [[Ancient Greek]] and Roman cultures merged into one civilization, so influential that parts of it survive in modern [[law]], [[Central Administration|administration]], [[philosophy]] and [[arts]] forming the ground where [[Western world|Western civilization]] is based upon. In its twelve-century existence, it transformed from a [[Roman Republic|republic]] to [[monarchy]] and finally to [[autocracy]]. In steady decline since 2nd century AD, the empire finally broke into two parts in 285 AD, a [[Western Roman Empire|western]] and an [[Byzantine Empire|eastern]]. The western part under the pressure of [[Goths]] finally dissolved leaving the Italian peninsula divided into small independent kingdoms and feuding [[city state]]s for the next 14 centuries, and the [[Byzantine Empire|eastern part]] as the sole heir to Roman legacy.
===Middle Ages===
[[Image:Corona ferrea.png|thumb|right|150px|The [[Iron Crown of Lombardy|Iron Crown]] with which Lombard rulers were crowned]]
[[Image:Italy 1494 v2.png|thumb|right|150px|Italy during the [[Late Middle Ages]].]]
Following a short recapture of the peninsula by [[Byzantine Emperor]], [[Justinian]] at 6th cen. AD from the [[Ostrogoths]] a new wave of [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribes]], the [[Lombards]], soon arrived to Italy from the north. For several centuries the armies of [[Byzantine Empire|the Byzantines]] were strong enough to prevent [[Arabs]], [[Holy Roman Empire]], or the [[Papacy]] from establishing a unified Italian Kingdom, but at the same time too weak to fully unify the former Roman lands. Nevertheless during early Middle Ages Imperial orders such as the [[Carolingian]]s, the [[Ottonian]]s and [[Hohenstaufen]]s managed to impose their overlordship in Italy.
Italy's regions eventually interlocked to their neighbouring empires' conflicting interests and would remain divided up to 19th century. It was during this vacuum of authority that the region saw the rise of [[Signoria]] and [[medieval commune|Comune]]. In the anarchic conditions that often prevailed in medieval Italian city states, people looked to strong men to restore order and disarm the feuding elites. In times of anarchy or crisis, cities sometimes offered the Signoria to individuals perceived as strong enough to save the state, most notably [[Della Scala]] family in [[Verona]], [[Visconti]] in [[Milan]] and [[Medici]] in [[Florence]].
Italy during this period became notable for its merchant [[Republics]]. These city-states, [[oligarchy|oligarchical]] in reality, had a dominant merchant class which under a relative [[freedom (political)|freedom]] nurtured academic and artistic advancement. The four classic Maritime Republics in Italy were [[Venice]], [[Genoa]], [[Pisa]], [[Amalfi]] reflecting the temporal sequence of their dominance.
Venice and Genoa were Europe's gateway to trade with the East, with the former producer of the renown [[venetian glass]], whilst Florence was the capital of [[silk]], [[wool]], banks and [[jewelry]]. The Maritime Republics were heavily involved in the [[Crusades]], taking advantage of the new political and trading opportunities, most evidently in the conquest of [[Zadar|Zara]] and [[Constantinople]] funded by Venice.
During late [[Middle Ages]] Italy was divided into smaller [[Italian city-states|city states]] and territories: the [[kingdom of Naples]] controlled the south, the [[Republic of Florence]] and the [[Papal States]] the centre, the [[Genoa|Genoese]] and the [[Milan]]ese the north and west, and the [[Venice|Venetians]] the east. Fifteenth-century Italy was one of the most urbanised areas in Europe and the birthplace of [[Renaissance]]. [[Florence]], in particular with the writings of [[Dante Alighieri]] (1265–1321), [[Francesco Petrarch]] (1304–1374) and [[Giovanni Boccaccio]] (c. 1313–1375), as well as the painting of [[Giotto di Bondone]] (1267–1337) is considered the center of this cultural movement. Scholars like [[Niccolò de' Niccoli]] and [[Poggio Bracciolini]] scoured the libraries in search of works of classical authors as [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], [[Euclid]], [[Ptolemy]], [[Cicero]] and [[Vitruvius]].
The [[Black Death]] [[pandemic]] in 1348 left its mark on Italy by killing one third of the population.<ref>Stéphane Barry and Norbert Gualde, "The Biggest Epidemics of History" (La plus grande épidémie de l'histoire, in L'Histoire n°310, June 2006, pp.45–46 </ref> The recovery from the disaster led to a resurgence of cities, trade and economy which greatly stimulated the successive phase of the [[Humanism]] and [[Renaissance]]. In 1494 the French king [[Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII]] opened the first of a series of invasions, lasting up to [[16th century|sixteenth century]], and a competition between [[France]] and [[Spain]] for the possession of the country. Ultimately Spain prevailed through the [[Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis]] which recognised Spanish dominance over the [[Duchy of Milan]] and the [[Kingdom of Naples]]. The holy alliance between [[Habsburg Spain]] and the Holy See resulted in the systematic persecution of any Protestant movement. [[Austria]] succeeded Spain as hegemon in Italy under the [[Peace of Utrecht]]. Through Austrian domination, the northern part of Italy, gained economic dynamism and intellectual fervor. The [[French Revolution]] and the [[Napoleonic Wars]] (1796–1815) introduced the ideas of [[Egalitarianism|equality]], [[democracy]], [[law]] and [[nation]].
===Unification===
{{main2|Italian unification}}
[[Image:Giuseppe Garibaldi (1866).jpg|right|thumb|right|150px|[[Giuseppe Garibaldi]], the "Hero of the Two Worlds"]]
The creation of the '''Kingdom of Italy''' was the result of the efforts by Italian nationalists and monarchists loyal to the [[House of Savoy]] to establish a united kingdom encompassing the entire [[Italian Peninsula]]. In the context of [[Revolutions of 1848|1848 liberal revolutions]] that swept through Europe an unsuccessful [[First Italian War of Independence|war was declared]] on Austria.
[[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] popular amongst southern Italians led the Italian republican drive for unification in southern Italy<ref>(Smith, Dennis Mack (1997). ''Modern Italy; A Political History''. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472108956, pp. 15.)</ref> , while the northern Italian monarchy of the [[Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia]] whose government was led by [[Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour]], had the ambition of establishing a united Italian state under its rule. The kingdom successfully challenged [[Austrian Empire]] in the [[Second Italian War of Independence]] with the help of [[Napoleon III of France|Napoleon III]], liberating the [[Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia|Lombardy-Venetia]].
In 1866 [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]] aligned the kingdom to [[Prussia]] during the [[Austro-Prussian War]] waging the [[Third Italian War of Independence]] which allowed Italy to annex Venice. In 1870, as France during the disastrous [[Franco-Prussian War]] abandoned its positions in [[Rome]], Italy rushed to fill the power gap by taking over the [[Papal State]] from French sovereignty. Italian unification finally was achieved, and shortly afterwards Italy's capital was moved to Rome.
===20th Century===
{{main|Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|History of the Italian Republic}}
As [[Northern Italy]] was [[industrialized]] and [[modernized]], the [[Mezzogiorno|south]] became overcrowded, forcing millions of people to emigrate for a better life abroad. The Sardinian [[Statuto Albertino]] of 1848, extended to the whole [[Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)|Kingdom of Italy]] in 1861, provided for basic freedoms, but the electoral laws excluded the non-propertied and uneducated classes from voting. In 1913 male universal suffrage was allowed. The [[Socialist]] Party became the main political party, outclassing the traditional liberal and conservative organisations. Starting from the last two decades of the nineteenth century, Italy developed into a colonial power by forcing [[Somalia]], [[Eritrea]] and later [[Libya]] and [[Dodecanese]] under its rule. <ref>(Bosworth (2005), pp. 49.)</ref> During [[World War I]] Italy stayed at first neutral, but in 1915, signed the [[London Pact]] entering [[Triple Entente|Entente]], promised [[Trento]], [[Trieste]], [[Istria]], [[Dalmatia]] and parts of [[Ottoman Empire]]. During the war, 600,000 Italians died and the economy collapsed. Under the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|Peace Treaty of Saint-Germain]], Italy obtained just [[Province of Bolzano-Bozen|Bolzano-Bozen]], [[Province of Trento|Trento]], [[Province of Trieste|Trieste]] and Istria in a victory defined as "mutilated" by public.
[[Image:Duce-02.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Benito Mussolini]], Fascist dictator of Italy 1922–1943]]
[[Image:Aldo Moro br.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Aldo Moro]], photographed during his kidnapping by the [[Red Brigades]]]]
The turbulence that followed the devastations of World War I, inspired by the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]], led to turmoil and anarchy. The liberal establishment, fearing a [[socialism|socialist]] revolution, started to endorse the small [[National Fascist Party]], led by [[Benito Mussolini]]. In October 1922 the fascists attempted a [[coup d'état|coup]] (the ''"Marcia su Roma"'', i.e. [[March on Rome]]); but the king ordered the army not to intervene, instead forming an alliance with Mussolini. Over the next few years, Mussolini banned all political parties and curtailed personal liberties thus forming a dictatorship. In 1935, Mussolini subjugated [[Ethiopia]] after a surprisingly lengthy campaign. This resulted in international alienation and the exodus of the country from the [[League of nations]]. A first pact with [[Nazi Germany]] was concluded in 1936, and a second in [[Pact of Steel|1938]]. Italy strongly supported Franco in the [[Spanish civil war]] and [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler's]] [[anschluss|annexation of Austria]] and [[Czechoslovakia]].
On [[April 7]] [[1939]] Italy occupied [[Albania]], a ''de facto'' protectorate for decades and entered [[World War II]] in 1940 taking part in the late stages of the [[Battle of France]]. Mussolini wanting a quick and swift victory which would emulate Hitler's [[blitzkrieg]] in Poland and France, invaded [[Greece]] in October 1940 via Albania but was forced to a humiliating defeat after a few months. At the same time Italy after initially conquering [[British Somalia]], saw an allied counter-attack leading to the loss of all possessions in the [[Horn of Africa]]. Italy was also defeated by [[United Kingdom|British]] forces in North Africa and was only saved by the urgently dispatched [[German Africa Corps]] led by [[Erwin Rommel]]. Italy was invaded by Allies in June 1943 leading to the collapse of the fascist regime and the arrest of Mussolini. In September 1943, Italy [[Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces|surrendered]]. Immediately Germany invaded its former ally with the country becoming a [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|battlefield]] for the rest of the war. The country was liberated on [[April 25]] [[1945]].
In 1946 [[Vittorio Emanuele III]]'s son, [[Umberto II]], was forced to abdicate. [[Birth of the Italian Republic|Italy became a Republic]] after a [[Referendum in Italy|referendum]] held on [[June 2]] [[1946]], a day celebrated since as [[Republic Day]]. This was the first election in Italy allowing women to vote.<ref>{{it icon}} [http://www.insmli.it/pubblicazioni/35/Voto%20donne%20versione%20def.pdf Italia 1946: le donne al voto, dossier a cura di Mariachiara Fugazza e Silvia Cassamagnaghi]</ref> The Republican Constitution was approved and came into force on [[January 1]] [[1948]]. Under the [[Paris Peace Treaties]] of 1947, the eastern border area was lost to [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] and the free territory of Trieste was divided between the two states. The [[Marshall Plan]] in 1949 helped to revive the Italian economy which in 1950s and 1960s enjoyed a prolonged economic growth. Italy is a founding member of [[European Union]] ([[EU]]). In the 1970s and 1980s the country experienced the [[History of Italy (1970s-1980s)|Years of Lead]], a period characterised by widespread social conflicts and terrorist acts carried out by extra-parliamentary movements. The assassination of the leader of the [[Christian Democracy (Italy, historical)|Christian Democracy]] , [[Aldo Moro]], led to the end of a [[historic compromise]] between the DC and the [[Italian Communist Party|Communist Party]].
From 1992 to 1997, the Italian economy faced significant challenges with massive government debt, extensive corruption, and organized crime's considerable influence collectively called the political system [[Tangentopoli]]. The Tangentopoli scandals involved all major parties, and between 1992 and 1994 the [[Christian Democracy (Italy, historical)|DC]] underwent a severe crisis splitting up into several factions, including the [[Italian People's Party (1994-2002)|Italian People's Party]] and the [[Christian Democratic Center]]. The [[Italian Socialist Party|PSI]] completely dissolved.
The 1994 elections put media magnate [[Silvio Berlusconi]] into the Prime Minister's seat. However he was forced to step down in December when [[Lega Nord]] withdrew its support. In April 1996, national elections led to the victory of a centre-left coalition under the leadership of [[Romano Prodi]]. Prodi's first government became the third-longest to stay in power before he narrowly lost a vote of confidence, by three votes, in October 1998. A new government was formed by [[Massimo D'Alema]], but in April 2000 he resigned. In 2001 the centre-right [[Italian general election, 2001|formed government]] and [[Silvio Berlusconi]] was able to remain in power for a complete five year mandate, but with two different governments. The first one (2001–2005) became the longest government in post-war Italy. Italy participated in the [[multinational coalition in Iraq|US-led military coalition in Iraq]]. The [[Italian general election, 2006|elections in 2006]] won by centre-left, allowed Prodi to form his second government but in early 2008, he resigned because of the collapse of his coalition. In the ensuing [[Italian general election, 2008|new early elections]] in April 2008, Silvio Berlusconi convincingly won to form a government for the third time.
==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Italy}}
{{main|Volcanism in Italy}}
[[Image:Cala d'Oliva (Asinara).jpg|thumb|left|150px|Cala d'Oliva in [[Asinara]], [[Sardinia]]]]
===Topography===
Italy occupies a long, [[boot]]-shaped peninsula, surrounded on the west by the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] and on the east by the [[Adriatic Sea]]. It is bounded by [[France]], [[Switzerland]], [[Austria]], and [[Slovenia]] to the north. The [[Apennine Mountains]] form the peninsula's backbone; [[the Alps]] form its northern boundary. The largest of its northern lakes is [[Lake Garda|Garda]] (143 sq mi; 370 km²); the [[Po river|Po]], its principal river, flows from the Alps on Italy's western border and crosses the great [[Padan plain]] to the Adriatic Sea. Several islands form part of Italy; the largest are [[Sicily]] (9,926 sq mi; 25,708 km²) and [[Sardinia]] (9,301 sq mi; 24,090 km²).
There are several active [[volcano]]es in Italy: [[Etna]], the largest active volcano in Europe; [[Vulcano]]; [[Stromboli]]; and [[Vesuvius]], the only active volcano on the [[mainland Europe|mainland of Europe]].
[[Image:I-RE-Brescello9.JPG|thumb|right|150px|Crops in the great [[Padan Plain]]]]
===Climate===
{{main|Climate of Italy}}
The climate in Italy is highly diverse and can be far from the stereotypical [[Mediterranean climate]] depending on the location. Most of the inland northern areas of Italy (for example [[Turin]], [[Milan]] and [[Bologna]]) have a [[continental climate]] often classified as [[Humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] Cfa). The coastal areas of [[Liguria]] and most of the peninsula south of [[Florence]] generally fit the Mediterranean stereotype ([[Köppen climate classification]] Csa). The coastal areas of the peninsula can be very different from the interior higher altitudes and valleys, particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer.
==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Italy}}{{see also|List of Prime Ministers of Italy}}
[[Image:Presidente Napolitano.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Giorgio Napolitano]], 11th [[President of the Italian Republic]]]]
The 1948 [[Constitution of Italy]] established a [[bicameral]] [[parliament]] (''[[Italian Parliament|Parlamento]]''), consisting of a [[Italian Chamber of Deputies|Chamber of Deputies]] (''Camera dei Deputati'') and a [[Italian Senate|Senate]] (''Senato della Repubblica''), a separate [[judiciary]], and an [[executive branch]] composed of a Council of Ministers ([[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]]) (''Consiglio dei ministri''), headed by the [[Prime Minister of Italy|prime minister]] (''Presidente del consiglio dei ministri'').
The [[President of the Italian Republic]] (''Presidente della Repubblica'') is elected for seven years by the parliament sitting jointly with a small number of regional delegates. The president nominates the prime minister, who proposes the other ministers (formally named by the president). The Council of Ministers must obtain a confidence vote from both houses of Parliament. Legislative bills may originate in either house and must be passed by a majority in both.
The houses of [[parliament]] are popularly and directly elected through a complex electoral system (latest amendment in 2005) which combines proportional representation with a majority prize for the largest coalition (Chamber). All [[Italian Citizenship|Italian citizens]] older than 18 can vote. However, to vote for the senate, the voter must be at least 25 or older. The electoral system in the [[Senate of Italy|Senate]] is based upon [[Regions of Italy|regional]] representation. During the elections in 2006, the two competing coalitions were separated by few thousand votes, and in the Chamber the centre-left coalition (''L'Unione''; [[English language|English]]: [[The Union (political coalition)|''The Union'']]) got 345 Deputies against 277 for the centre-right one (''Casa delle Libertà''; English: ''[[House of Freedoms]]''), while in the Senate ''L'Unione'' got only two Senators more than absolute majority. The [[Chamber of Deputies of Italy|Chamber of Deputies]] has 630 [[member of Parliament|members]] and the Senate 315 elected senators; in addition, the Senate includes former presidents and appointed senators for life (no more than five) by the President of the Republic according to special constitutional provisions. As of [[May 15]] [[2006]] there are seven [[senator for life|life senators]] (of which three are former Presidents). Both houses are elected for a maximum of five years, but both may be dissolved by the President before the expiration of their normal term if the Parliament is unable to elect a stable government. In the post war history, this has happened in 1972, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1994, 1996 and 2008.
A peculiarity of the [[Italian Parliament]] is the representation given to [[Italian nationality law|Italian citizens]] permanently living abroad (about 2.7 million people). Among the 630 Deputies and the 315 Senators there are respectively 12 and 6 elected in four distinct foreign constituencies. Those members of Parliament were elected for the first time in April 2006 and they have the same rights as members elected in Italy.
The Italian judicial system is based on [[Roman law]] modified by the [[Napoleonic code]] and later statutes. The [[Constitutional Court of Italy]] (''Corte Costituzionale'') rules on the conformity of laws with the [[Constitution of Italy|Constitution]] and is a post-World War II innovation.
==Foreign relations==
{{main|Foreign relations of Italy}}{{see also|Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs}}
[[Image:Silvio Berlusconi and George W. Bush at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Silvio Berlusconi]], current Italian Prime Minister, and U.S. President [[George W. Bush]]. Berlusconi has held a strong pro-America line in foreign policy.]]
Italy was a founding member of the European Community—now the [[European Union]] (EU). Italy was admitted to the [[United Nations]] in 1955 and is a member and strong supporter of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO), the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]]/[[World Trade Organization]] (GATT/WTO), the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE), and the [[Council of Europe]]. Its recent turns as rotating Presidency of international organisations include the [[Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe|CSCE]] (the forerunner of the OSCE) in 1994 [[G8]], the EU in 2001 and from July to December 2003.
Italy supports the United Nations and its international security activities. Italy deployed troops in support of UN peacekeeping missions in [[Somalia]], [[Mozambique]], and East Timor and provides support for NATO and UN operations in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]], [[Kosovo]] and [[Albania]]. Italy deployed over 2,000 troops to [[Afghanistan]] in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in February 2003. Italy still supports international efforts to reconstruct and stabilize [[Iraq]], but it has withdrawn its [[Multinational force in Iraq#Troop deployment in Iraq 2003-present|military contingent]] of some 3,200 troops as of November 2006, maintaining only humanitarian workers and other civilian personnel.
In August 2006 Italy sent about 3,000 soldiers to [[Lebanon]] for the [[United Nations]]' [[peacekeeping|peacekeeping mission]] [[UNIFIL]].<ref name="NewsMax">"[http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/08_Agosto/29/libano.shtml Italian soldiers leave for Lebanon] [[Il Corriere della Sera]], [[30 August]] [[2006]]</ref> Furthermore, since [[2 February]] [[2007]] an Italian, [[Claudio Graziano]] is the commander of the UN force in the country.
==Military==
[[Image:Alpini ISAF.jpg|thumb|right|[[Alpini]] of the [[4 Alpini Regiment|4th Alpini Regiment]] attached to [[ISAF]]]]
[[Image:Giuseppe Garibaldi (551) underway in the Atlantic Ocean.jpg|thumb|The [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]]. The [[Marina Militare|Italian Navy]] maintains two [[aircraft carriers]]]]
[[Image:Italian Eurofighter Typhoon.JPG|thumb|right|[[Aeronautica Militare|Italian Air Force]] [[Eurofighter Typhoon]] at [[Pratica di Mare Air Force Base|Pratica di Mare]]]]
{{main|Military of Italy}}
Article 11 of the [[Italian Constitution]] says: "Italy rejects war as an instrument of aggression against the freedoms of others peoples and as a means for settling international controversies; it agrees, on conditions of equality with other states, to the limitations of sovereignty necessary for an order that ensures peace and justice among Nations; it promotes and encourages international organizations having such ends in view".
The Italian [[armed forces]] are under the command of the Italian Supreme Defense Council, presided over by the [[President of the Italian Republic]]. The total number of military personnel is approximately 308,000. Italy has the [[List of countries and federations by military expenditures|eighth-highest]] [[military expenditure]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sipri.org/contents/milap/milex/mex_major_spenders.pdf|work=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Website|title=The fifteen major spenders in 2006}}</ref>
The Italian [[armed forces]] are divided into four branches:
===Army===
The [[Italian Army|Esercito Italiano]] (the ''Italian Army'') is the ground defense force of the Italian Republic. It has recently ([[July 29]], [[2004]]) become a professional all-volunteer force of 115,687 [[active duty]] personnel. Its most famous combat vehicles are [[Dardo IFV|Dardo]], [[Centauro]] and [[Ariete]], and [[Agusta A129 Mangusta|Mangusta]] attack helicopters, recently deployed in UN missions; but the Esercito Italiano also has at its disposal a large number of [[Leopard 1]] and [[M113]] armored vehicles.
===Navy===
The [[Marina Militare]] (the ''Italian [[Navy]]'') is one of the four branches of the [[Military of Italy|military forces of Italy]]. It was created in 1946, as the Navy of the Italian Republic, from the [[Regia Marina]]. Today's Marina Militare is a modern [[navy]] with a strength of 35,261 and ships of every type, such as [[aircraft carrier]]s, [[destroyer]]s, modern [[frigate]]s, submarines, amphibious ships and other smaller ships such as oceanographic research ships.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}
The Marina Militare is now equipping herself with a bigger [[aircraft carrier]] (the ''[[Cavour (550)|Cavour]]''), new [[destroyer]]s, submarines and multipurpose [[frigate]]s. In modern times, the Marina Militare, being a member of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO), has taken part in many coalition peacekeeping operations around the world. The Marina Militare is considered the fourth strongest navy of the world.
===Air Force===
The [[Aeronautica Militare|Aeronautica Militare Italiana]] is the [[air force]] of Italy. It was founded as an independent service arm on [[28 March]], [[1923]], by [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|King Vittorio Emanuele III]] as the ''[[Regia Aeronautica]]'' (which translates to "Royal Air Force"). After [[World War II]], when Italy was made a [[republic]] by referendum, the ''Regia Aeronautica'' was given its current name. Today the Aeronautica Militare has a strength of 45,879 and operates 585 aircraft, including 219 combat jets and 114 helicopters. As a stopgap and as replacement for leased [[Panavia Tornado|Tornado ADV]] interceptors, the AMI has leased 30 [[F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16A]] Block 15 ADF and four F-16B Block 10 Fighting Falcons, with an option for some more. The coming years also will see the introduction of 121 [[Eurofighter Typhoon|EF2000 Eurofighter Typhoons]], replacing the leased F-16 Fighting Falcons. Furthermore updates are foreseen on the Tornado IDS/IDT and the AMX-fleet. The transport capacity is guaranteed by a fleet of 22 C-130Js, also a completely new developed G222, called C-27J Spartan (12 aircraft ordered), will enter service replacing the G222's. The Italian air force is also planning on purchasing [[F-35]], although they have not been distributed around the world yet.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}
===Gendarmerie===
The [[Carabinieri]] are the [[gendarmerie]] and [[military police]] of Italy, providing the republic with a national [[Police|police service]]. At the [[30th G8 summit|Sea Islands Conference]] of the [[G8]] in 2004, the Carabinieri was given the mandate to establish a Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) to spearhead the development of training and doctrinal standards for civilian police units attached to international peacekeeping missions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2006/coespu.pdf|title=Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units|format=PDF |author=[[United States Institute of Peace]]}}</ref>
==Regions, provinces, and municipalities==
{{main|Regions of Italy|Provinces of Italy|Municipalities of Italy}}
[[Image:Italy.geohive.gif|thumb|right|300px|[[Subnational|Administrative divisions]]]]
Italy is subdivided into 20 regions (''regioni'', singular ''regione''). Five of these regions have a [[Autonomous regions with special statute|special autonomous status]] that enables them to enact legislation on some of their local matters, and are marked by an *. It is further divided into 109 provinces (''province'') and 8,101 municipalities (''comuni'').
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left; font-size:90%"
|- style="font-size:110%;"
!width="10px"| !!width="180px"| [[Regions of Italy|Region]] !!width="70px"| [[Capital]] !!width="70px"| [[Area|Area,<br />(km²)]] !!width="70px"| [[Population]]</tr>
|-
| 1 || [[Abruzzo]] || [[L'Aquila]] || style="text-align:right"|10,794 || style="text-align:right" |1,305,000
|-
| 2 || [[Basilicata]] || [[Potenza]] || style="text-align:right"|9,992 || style="text-align:right" |594,000
|-
| 3 || [[Calabria]] || [[Catanzaro]] || style="text-align:right"|15,080 || style="text-align:right" |2,004,000
|-
| 4 || [[Campania]] || [[Naples]] || style="text-align:right"|13,595 || style="text-align:right" |5,790,000
|-
| 5 || [[Emilia-Romagna]] || [[Bologna]] || style="text-align:right"|22,124 || style="text-align:right" |4,187,000
|-
| 6 || [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]]* || [[Trieste]] || style="text-align:right"|7,855 || style="text-align:right" |1,208,000
|-
| 7 || [[Lazio]] || [[Rome]] || style="text-align:right"|17,207 || style="text-align:right" |5,304,000
|-
| 8 || [[Liguria]] || [[Genoa]] || style="text-align:right"|5,421 || style="text-align:right" |1,610,000
|-
| 9 || [[Lombardy]] || [[Milan]] || style="text-align:right"|23,861 || style="text-align:right" |9,375,000
|-
| 10 || [[Marche]] || [[Ancona]] || style="text-align:right"|9,694 || style="text-align:right" |1,528,000
|-
| 11 || [[Molise]] || [[Campobasso]] || style="text-align:right"|4,438 || style="text-align:right" |320,000
|-
| 12 || [[Piedmont]] || [[Turin]] || style="text-align:right"|25,399 || style="text-align:right" |4,341,000
|-
| 13 || [[Apulia]] || [[Bari]] || style="text-align:right"|19,362 || style="text-align:right" |4,071,000
|-
| 14 || [[Sardinia]]* || [[Cagliari]] || style="text-align:right"|24,090 || style="text-align:right" |1,655,000
|-
| 15 || [[Aosta Valley]]* || [[Aosta]] || style="text-align:right"|3,263 || style="text-align:right" |123,000
|-
| 16 || [[Tuscany]] || [[Florence]] || style="text-align:right"|22,997 || style="text-align:right" |3,619,000
|-
| 17 || [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol]]* || [[Trento]] || style="text-align:right"|13,607 || style="text-align:right" |985,000
|-
| 18 || [[Umbria]] || [[Perugia]] || style="text-align:right"|8,456 || style="text-align:right" |867,000
|-
| 19 || [[Sicily]]* || [[Palermo]] || style="text-align:right"|25,708 || style="text-align:right" |5,017,000
|-
| 20 || [[Veneto]] || [[Venice]] || style="text-align:right"|18,391|| style="text-align:right" |4,738,000
|}
==Demographics==
{{main|Demography of Italy}}
===Population===
In October of 2007, Italy officially reached more than 59.5 million<ref>[http://demo.istat.it/bilmens2007gen/index.html Statistiche demografiche ISTAT:]</ref> persons. Italy currently has the fourth largest population in the [[European Union]], and the 23rd largest population in the world. Italy's population density at 196.1 persons per kilometre is the 5th highest in the European Union. The highest density is in [[Northern Italy]], as one third of the country contains almost half of the Italian population.
After the [[WW2]], Italy saw an economic boom which lead to rural population moving to the cities, and in the same time it turned from a nation characterized by massive emigration to a net immigrant-receiving country. High fertility persisted until the 70s when it plunged below replacement so as of 2007, one in five Italians was pensioners. Despite this, thanks mainly to the immigration of 80s and 90s, in 2000s Italy saw natural population growth for the first time in years.<ref>[http://demo.istat.it/bil2006/index.html Statistiche demografiche ISTAT:]</ref>
====Largest cities====
[[Image:Rome airal picture.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rome]]]]
[[Image:Milano Duomo 1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Milan]]]]
[[Image:ViewofNaplesBay.jpg|thumb|right|[[Naples]]]]
[[Image:Torino-panoramadaicappuccini.jpg|thumb|right|[[Turin]]]]
[[Image:Palermo02 flickr.jpg|thumb|right|[[Palermo]]]]
[[Image:Genova porto-IMG 2531.JPG|thumb|right|[[Genoa]]]]
[[Image:Bologna-SanPetronioPiazzaMaggiore1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bologna]]]]
Italian cities with a population of 300,000 or more ([[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]] data, December 2006):
{| class="wikitable"
|- align=right
!Pos.|| Common || Region || Prov. || Inhabitants
|- align="right"
| 1 || '''[[Rome]]''' || [[Lazio]] || RM || 2,705,603
|- align="right"
| 2 || '''[[Milan]]''' || [[Lombardy]] || MI || 1,303,437
|- align="right"
| 3 || '''[[Naples]]''' || [[Campania]] || NA || 975,139
|- align="right"
| 4 || '''[[Turin]]''' || [[Piedmont]] || TO || 900,569
|- align="right"
| 5 || '''[[Palermo]]''' || [[Sicily]] || PA || 666,552
|- align="right"
| 6 || '''[[Genoa]]''' || [[Liguria]] || GE || 615,686
|- align="right"
| 7 || '''[[Bologna]]''' || [[Emilia-Romagna]] || BO || 373,026
|- align="right"
| 8 || '''[[Florence]]''' || [[Tuscany]] || FI || 365,966
|- align="right"
| 9 || '''[[Bari]] ||''' [[Apulia]] || BA || 325,052
|- align="right"
| 10 || '''[[Catania]]''' || [[Sicily]] || CT || 301,564
|}
====Metropolitan areas====
According to the [[OECD]]<ref>[http://213.253.134.43/oecd/pdfs/browseit/0406041E.PDF OECD - Territorial Reviews]</ref>, these are the major Italian [[metropolitan area]]s:
{|class="wikitable"
!Metropolitan area!!Inhabitants
|-
| [[Milan metropolitan area|Milan]] ||7.4 million
|-
| [[Rome]] ||3.8 million
|-
| [[Naples]] ||3.1 million
|-
| [[Turin]] ||2.4 million
|}
===Migration and ethnicity===
Italy is a destination for immigrants from all over the world. At the end of 2006, foreigners comprised 5% of the population or 2,938,922 persons,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/str2006/index.html|title=demo.istat.it/str2006/index.html<!--INSERT TITLE-->}}</ref> an increase of 270,000 since the previous year. In some Italian cities, such as [[Brescia]], [[Milan]], [[Padua]], and [[Prato]], immigrants total more than 10% of the population.
The most recent wave of migration has been from surrounding European nations, particularly Eastern Europe, replacing North Africans as a major source of migrants. Around 500,000 Romanians are officially registered as living in Italy, but unofficial estimates put the actual number at double that figure or perhaps even more.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birn.eu.com/en/111/15/5745/|title=www.birn.eu.com/en/111/15/5745/<!--INSERT TITLE-->}}</ref> As of 2006, migrants came from [[Eastern Europe]] (39.14%), [[North Africa]] (17.77%), [[Asia]] (17.43%), [[Latin America]] (8.90%). Smaller groups came from [[sub-Saharan Africa]], [[North America]] and other [[European Union member state|European Union nations]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/str2006/index.html|title=demo.istat.it/str2006/index.html<!--INSERT TITLE-->}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right; font-size:95%;"
!width="140px"| [[Ethnic group]] !! [[Population]] !! % of total*
|-
|align="left"| Ethnic [[Italians|Italian]] || {{commas|56000000}} || 94.96%</tr>
|align="left"| [[Romanians|Romanian]]|| {{commas|550000}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7078532.stm|title=news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7078532.stm<!--INSERT TITLE-->}}</ref> || 0.93%</tr>
|align="left"| [[Arab]] || {{commas|485000}} || 0.82%</tr>
|align="left"| [[Albanians|Albanian]] || {{commas|348000}} || 0.60%</tr>
|align="left"| [[Asian people|Asian]] (non-Chinese) || {{commas|326000}} || 0.55%</tr>
|align="left"| [[Germans|German]] || {{commas|287503}} || 0.49%</tr>
|align="left"| [[South American]] || {{commas|239000}} || 0.41%</tr>
|align="left"| [[Black African]] || {{commas|210000}} || 0.36%</tr>
|align="left"| [[Chinese people|Chinese]] || {{commas|128000}} || 0.22%</tr>
|align="left"| [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] || {{commas|107000}} || 0.18%</tr>
|align="left"| Other || {{commas|257000}} || 0.43%</tr>
|-
|colspan="3" align="left"| {{smaller|* Percentage of total population}}
|}
===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Italy}}{{see also|Christianity in Italy|Islam in Italy|Jews in Italy|Buddhism in Italy|List of Italian religious minority politicians}}
{{bar box
|title=Italy religiosity
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=religion
|right1=percent
|float=left
|bars=
{{bar percent|Christianity|blue|90}}
{{bar percent|Irreligion|gray|7}}
{{bar percent|Islam|green|2}}
{{bar percent|Others|purple|1}}
}}
[[Roman Catholicism]] is by far the largest religion in the country, although the Catholic Church is no longer officially the [[state religion]]. 87.8% of Italians identified as [[Roman Catholic]] <ref>[http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/01_Gennaio/17/cattolici.shtml Italia, quasi l'88% si proclama cattolico]</ref>, although only about one-third of these described themselves as active members (36.8%).
Other [[Christianity|Christian]] groups in Italy include more than 700,000 [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christians]]<ref>[http://www.ortodossia.it/it.html]</ref>, including 470,000 newcomers<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.db.caritas.glauco.it/caritas/dati/news/2004-05/25/Scheda.pdf]|65.4 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 67016 bytes -->}}</ref>and some 180,000 [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]], 550,000 [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]] and [[Evangelicalism|Evangelicals]] (0.8%), of whom 400,000 are members of the [[Assemblies of God]], 235,685 [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] (0.4%)<ref>[http://www.cesnur.org/religioni_italia/t/testimoni_geova_02.htm Le religioni in Italia: I Testimoni di Geova:]</ref>, 30,000 [[Waldensians]]<ref>[http://www.chiesavaldese.org/pages/storia/dove_viviamo.php Chiesa Evangelica Valdese - Unione delle chiese Metodiste e Valdesi:]</ref>, 25,000 [[Seventh-day Adventists]], 22,000 [[Mormons]], 15,000 [[Baptists]] (plus some 5,000 Free Baptists), 7,000 [[Lutherans]], 5,000 [[Methodists]] (affiliated to the Waldensian Church)<ref>[http://www.fedevangelica.it/fcei/fcei041.asp#celi]</ref>.
The country's oldest religious minority is the [[Judaism|Jewish]] community, comprising roughly 45,000 people. It is no longer the largest non-Christian group.
As a result of significant immigration from other parts of the world, some 825,000 [[Muslims]]<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4385768.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Muslims in Europe: Country guide:]</ref> (1.4%) live in Italy, though only 50,000 are [[Italian Citizenship|Italian citizens]]. In addition, there are 110,000 [[Buddhists]] (0.2%)<ref>[http://www.buddhismo.it/ente.htm Unione Buddhista Italiana: l'Ente]</ref><ref>[http://www.sgi-italia.org/chi/ibisg.html SGI-ITALIA.ORG: L'Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai:]</ref><ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.db.caritas.glauco.it/caritas/dati/news/2004-05/25/Scheda.pdf]|65.4 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 67016 bytes -->}}</ref>, 70,000 [[Sikh]]s<ref>[http://www.etnomedia.org/14.htm Etnomedia]</ref>, and 70,000 [[Hinduism|Hindus]] (0.1%) in Italy.
==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Italy}}{{see also|List of Italian companies}}
[[Image:IMG 4468 - Milano - La Borsa - Dettaglio - Foto di Giovanni Dall'Orto - 20 jan 2007.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Borsa Italiana]], based in [[Milan]], is Italy's main [[stock exchange]]]]
According to GDP calculations, Italy was ranked as the seventh largest economy in the world in 2006, behind the [[United States]], [[Japan]], [[Germany]], [[Peoples Republic of China|China]], [[United Kingdom|UK]], and [[France]], and the fourth largest in Europe. According to the OECD, in 2004 Italy was the world's sixth-largest exporter of manufactured goods. This economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed [[agriculture|agricultural]] south. In the [[Index of Economic Freedom]] 2008 it ranked 64th of 162 countries, or 29th of 41 European countries, the lowest rating in the [[EU-15]] and behind many ex-communist European countries. It's often called a [[sick man of Europe]], with governments having problems in pursuing reform programs.
According to [[World Bank]] data, Italy has high levels of freedom to invest, do business, and trade. On the other hand, Italy has inefficient bureaucracy, relatively low property rights and high levels of corruption (compared to other European countries), heavy taxes, and heavy public consumption at around half of GDP.<ref name="economicfreedom">[http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/country.cfm?ID=Italy Index of Economic Freedom<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Italy has been in economic decline compared to most other EU-15 countries.
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 Union of the European Union|Economic and Monetary Union]] and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. Italy joined the [[Euro]] from its introduction in 1999.
Italy's economic performance has at times lagged behind that of its [[European Union|EU]] partners, and the current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. It has moved slowly, however, on implementing certain structural reforms favoured by economists, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labour market and expensive [[pension]] system, because of the economic slowdown and opposition from [[labour union]]s.
Italy has a smaller number of world class multinational corporations than other economies of comparable size. Instead, the country's main economic strength has been its large base of small and medium size companies. Some of these companies manufacture products that are technologically moderately advanced and therefore face increasing competition from China and other emerging Asian economies which are able to undercut them on labour costs. These Italian companies are responding to the Asian competition by concentrating on products with a higher technological content, while moving lower-tech manufacturing to plants in countries where labour is less expensive. The small average size of Italian companies remains a limiting factor, and the government has been working to encourage integration and mergers and to reform the rigid regulations that have traditionally been an obstacle to the development of larger corporations in the country.
Italy's major exports are [[Automobile industry in Italy|motor vehicles]] ([[Fiat Group]], [[Aprilia]], [[Ducati]], [[Piaggio]]), chemicals, petrochemicals ([[Eni S.p.A.|Eni]]), electricity ([[Enel (energy)|Enel]], [[Edison S.p.A.|Edison]]), [[home appliances]] (Merloni, Candy), aerospace and defense tech ([[Alenia]], [[Agusta]], [[Finmeccanica]]), firearms ([[Beretta]]); but the country's more famous exports are in the fields of fashion ([[Armani]], [[Valentino SpA|Valentino]], [[Gianni Versace S.p.A.|Versace]], [[Dolce & Gabbana]], [[Benetton Group|Benetton]], [[Prada]], [[Luxottica]]), food industry ([[Ferrero SpA|Ferrero]], [[Barilla Group]], [[Martini & Rossi]], [[Campari]], [[Parmalat]]), [[luxury vehicle]]s ([[Ferrari]], [[Maserati]], [[Lamborghini]], [[Pagani]]) and motoryachts ([[Ferretti Group|Ferretti]], [[Azimut]]).
[[Tourism in Italy|Tourism]] is very important to the Italian economy: with over 37 million tourists a year, Italy is [[World Tourism Rankings|ranked]] as the fifth major tourist destination in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.world-tourism.org/facts/eng/pdf/highlights/2005_eng_high.pdf |title=International Tourism Receipts |format=PDF |work=UNWTO Tourism Highlights, Edition 2005 |pages=12 |publisher=[[World Tourism Organization]] |accessdate=2006-05-24}}</ref>
==Transport==
{{main|Transport in Italy}}
[[Image:DSC02042 Uscita Stazione centrale di Milano - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 1-1-2007.jpg|thumb|right||[[ETR 500]] at [[Milan Central Station]]]]
The [[railway]] network in Italy totals 16,627 kilometres (10,331 mi), ranking the country 17th in the world <ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_transport_network_size</ref>, and is operated by [[Ferrovie dello Stato]]. High speed trains include [[ElettroTreno|ETR]]-class trains, of which the [[ETR 500]] travels at 300 km/h (190 [[mph]]).
In 1991 [[Treno Alta Velocità|Treno Alta Velocità SpA]] was created, a [[special purpose entity]] owned by [[Rete Ferroviaria Italiana|RFI]] (itself owned by [[Ferrovie dello Stato]]) for the planning and construction of [[high-speed rail]] lines along Italy's most important and saturated transport routes. These lines are often referred as "TAV" lines. The purpose of TAV construction is to aid travel along Italy's most saturated rail lines and to add tracks to these lines, namely the Milan-Naples and Turin-Milan-Venice corridors. One of the focuses of the project is to turn the rail network of Italy into a modern and high-tech passenger rail system in accordance with updated European rail standards. A secondary purpose is to introduce [[high-speed rail]] to the country and its high-priority corridors. When demand on regular lines is lessened with the opening of dedicated high-speed lines, those regular lines will be used primarily for low-speed regional rail service and freight trains. With these ideas realised, the Italian train network can be integrated with other European rail networks, particularly the French [[TGV]], German [[InterCityExpress|ICE]], and Spanish [[AVE]] systems{{Fact|date=August 2007}}.
There are approximately 654,676 km(406,797 mi) of serviceable roadway in Italy, including 6,957 km (4,323 mi) of expressways<ref>[http://www.autostrade.it/en/index.html Autostrade per l'Italia S.p.A.:]</ref>.
There are approximately 133 airports in Italy, including the two [[Airline hub|hubs]] of [[Malpensa International Airport|Malpensa International]] (near Milan) and [[Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport|Leonardo Da Vinci International]] (near Rome).
There are 27 major ports in Italy, the largest is in [[Genoa]], which is also the second largest in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], after [[Marseille]]. 2,400 km (1,500 mi) of waterways traverse Italy.
==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Italy|Cinema of Italy|Freedom of the press in Italy|Education in Italy}}
{{Further|[[List of film directors from Italy]]}}
[[Image:Leonardo self.jpg|thumb|left|uprleft|120px|[[Leonardo Da Vinci]]]]
Italy did not exist as a state until the country's unification in 1861. Due to this comparatively late unification, and the historical autonomy of the regions that comprise the [[Italian Peninsula]], many traditions and customs that are now recognized as distinctly Italian can be identified by their regions of origin. Despite the political and social isolation of these regions, Italy's contributions to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe remain immense. Italy is home to the greatest number of [[UNESCO]] [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe#Italy (43)|World Heritage Sites]] (43) to date.
===Visual Art===
[[Image:Sanzio 00.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Raphael]]]]
{{main|Art of Italy}}{{see also|List of Italian painters|List of Italian designers}}
Italian painting is traditionally characterized by a warmth of colour and light, as exemplified in the works of [[Caravaggio]] and [[Titian]], and a preoccupation with religious figures and motifs. Italian painting enjoyed preeminence in Europe for hundreds of years, from the [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] and [[Gothic art|Gothic]] periods, and through the [[Renaissance]] and [[Baroque]] periods, the latter two of which saw fruition in Italy. Notable artists whom fall within these periods include [[Michelangelo]], [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Donatello]], [[Botticelli]], [[Fra Angelico]], [[Tintoretto]], [[Caravaggio]], [[Bernini]], [[Titian]] and [[Raphael]]. Thereafter, Italy was to experience a continual subjection to foreign powers which caused a shift of focus to political matters, leading to its decline as the artistic authority in Europe. Not until 20th century [[Futurism]], primarily through the works of [[Umberto Boccioni]] and [[Giacomo Balla]], would Italy prove to recapture any of its former prestige as a seminal place of artistic evolution. Futurism was succeeded by the metaphysical paintings of [[Giorgio de Chirico]], who exerted a strong influence on the [[Surrealists]] and generations of artists to follow.
===Literature===
{{main|Italian literature|Italian poetry}}{{see also|List of Italian writers|List of Italian poets}}
[[Image:DanteDetail.jpg|thumb|left|[[Dante]], author of the [[Divine Comedy]]]]
With the basis of the modern [[Italian language]] established through the [[Florentine]] poet, [[Dante Alighieri]], whose greatest work, the [[Divina Commedia]], is considered amongst the foremost literary statements produced in Europe during the [[Middle Ages]], there is no shortage of celebrated literary figures; the writers and poets [[Giovanni Boccaccio]], [[Giacomo Leopardi]], [[Alessandro Manzoni]], [[Torquato Tasso]], [[Ludovico Ariosto]], and [[Francesco Petrarca|Petrarch]], whose best known vehicle of expression, the [[sonnet]], was invented in Italy. Prominent philosophers include [[Giordano Bruno]], [[Marsilio Ficino]], [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], and [[Giambattista Vico]]. Modern literary figures and Nobel laureates are nationalist poet [[Giosuè Carducci]] in 1906, realist writer [[Grazia Deledda]] in 1926, modern theatre author [[Luigi Pirandello]] in 1936, poets [[Salvatore Quasimodo]] in 1959 and [[Eugenio Montale]] in 1975, satiryst and theatre author [[Dario Fo]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/|title=All Nobel Laureates in Literature}}</ref>
===Science===
[[Image:Galileo.arp.300pix.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Galileo]]]]
In science, [[Galileo Galilei]] made advancements toward the [[scientific revolution]], and [[Leonardo da Vinci]] was the quintessential [[Polymath|Renaissance Man]]. Italy has been the home of scientists and inventors: the physicist [[Enrico Fermi]], leader of the team that built the [[Chicago Pile-1|first nuclear reactor]]; the astronomer [[Giovanni Domenico Cassini]]; the physicist [[Alessandro Volta]], inventor of the [[electric battery]]; the mathematicians [[Joseph Louis Lagrange|Lagrange]] and [[Fibonacci]]; Nobel Prize in Physics laureate [[Guglielmo Marconi]], [[Invention of radio|inventor of the radio]]; and [[Antonio Meucci]], candidate for [[Invention of the telephone|inventor of the telephone]].
===Music===
{{main|Music of Italy|Music history of Italy}}
{{see also|List of Italian composers}}
[[Image:Rossini1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Gioachino Rossini]]]]
From [[Italian folk music|folk music]] to [[European classical music|classical]], music has always played an important role in Italian culture. Having given birth to [[opera]], Italy provides many of the foundations of the classical music tradition. Instruments associated with classical music, including the [[piano]] and [[violin]], were invented in Italy, and many of the prevailing classical music forms can trace their roots back to innovations of sixteenth and seventeenth century Italian music (such as the [[symphony]], [[concerto]], and [[sonata]]). Italy's most famous composers include the [[List of Renaissance composers#Italian|Renaissance composers]] [[Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina|Palestrina]] and [[Claudio Monteverdi|Monteverdi]], the [[List of Baroque composers|Baroque composers]] [[Alessandro Scarlatti]], [[Arcangelo Corelli|Corelli]] and [[Antonio Vivaldi|Vivaldi]], the [[List of Classical era composers|Classical composers]] [[Niccolò Paganini|Paganini]] and [[Gioacchino Rossini|Rossini]], and the [[List of Romantic composers|Romantic composers]] [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]] and [[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]]. Modern Italian composers such as [[Luciano Berio|Berio]] and [[Luigi Nono|Nono]] proved significant in the development of [[experimental music|experimental]] and [[electronic music]].
While the classical music tradition still holds strong in Italy, as evidenced by the fame of its innumerable opera houses, such as [[La Scala]] of Milan, and [[San Carlo]] of Naples, and performers such as the pianist [[Maurizio Pollini]], and the late tenor [[Luciano Pavarotti]], Italians have been no less appreciative of their thriving contemporary music scene. Introduced in the early 1920s, [[Jazz]] took a particularly strong foothold in Italy, and remained popular despite the anti-American cultural policies of the Fascist regime. Today, the most notable centers of Jazz music in Italy include Milan, Rome, and Sicily. Later, Italy was at the forefront of the [[progressive rock]] movement of the 1970s, with bands like [[Premiata Forneria Marconi|PFM]] and [[Goblin (band)|Goblin]]. Today, Italian pop music is represented annually with the [[Sanremo Music Festival]], which served as inspiration for the [[Eurovision]] song contest, and the [[Festival of Two Worlds]] in [[Spoleto]]. Singers such as the [[Grammy]] winner [[Laura Pausini]], classical crossover artist [[Andrea Bocelli]], and European chart topper [[Eros Ramazzotti]] have attained international acclaim.
===Sport===
{{main|Sport in Italy}}
[[Image:FIFA World Cup 2006 - Italian celebrations at Colosseum.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Italian supporters celebrate [[2006 FIFA World Cup|World Cup victory]] in 2006]]
Popular sports include [[Football (soccer)|football]], [[basketball]] (2nd national team sport since the 1950s), [[volleyball]], [[waterpolo]], [[fencing]], [[Rugby Union|rugby]], [[cycling]], [[ice hockey]] (mainly in Milan, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto), [[roller hockey]] and [[F1]] motor racing.
[[Winter sports]] are most popular in the Northern regions, with Italians competing in international games and Olympic venues. Sports are incorporated into Italian festivities like [[Palio]] (see also [[Palio di Siena]]), and the [[Gondola]] race ([[regatta]]) that takes place in Venice on the first Sunday of September.
[[Sport]]s venues have extended from the [[Gladiator|Gladiatorial games]] of [[Ancient Rome]] in the [[Colosseum]] to the [[Stadio Olimpico]] of contemporary Rome, where football clubs compete.
The most popular sport in Italy is [[Football (soccer)|football]], the [[Serie A]] being one of the most famous competitions in the world.
Italy's national football team is the second most successful team in the world (with four world cup victories, the first one of which was in 1934) and the current [[FIFA]] world champion.
==See also==
{{Italy topics|state=expanded}}
==Notes==
<div class="references-small">
{{ent|1|Romanian}} According to Mitrica, an October 2005 Romanian report estimates that 1,061,400 Romanians are living in Italy, constituting 37.2% of 2.8 million immigrants in that country<ref>Mitrica, Mihai [http://www.evz.ro/article.php?artid=201813 Un milion de romani s-au mutat in Italia] ("One million Romanians have moved to Italy"). ''Evenimentul Zilei'', [[October 31]] [[2005]]. Visited [[April 11]] [[2006]].</ref> but it is unclear how the estimate was made, and therefore whether it should be taken seriously.
{{ent|2|dialects}} See also (in Italian): ''L. Lepschy e G. Lepschy, La lingua italiana: storia, varietà d'uso, grammatica, Milano, Bompiani''
{{ent|3|montblanc}} Official French maps show the border detouring south of the main summit, and claim the highest point in Italy is Mont Blanc de Courmayeur (4,748 m), but these are inconsistent with an 1861 convention and topographic watershed analysis.
</div>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
:''Other references can be found in the more detailed articles linked to in this article.''
{{portal|Italy|Flag of Italy.svg}}
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Italy}}
* {{wikitravel}}
; Country profiles
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1065345.stm by the BBC News]
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html by the CIA Factbook]
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-i/italy.html by the CIA World Leaders]
* [http://www.economist.com/countries/Italy/ by the Economist]
* [http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/it/ by the U.S. Department of State]
* [http://devdata.worldbank.org/external/CPProfile.asp?SelectedCountry=ITA&CCODE=ITA&CNAME=Italy&PTYPE=CP by the World Bank]
; Government
* [http://www.quirinale.it/presidente/altrelingue/inglese/presidente-en.htm President of the Republic of Italy]
* [http://www.parlamento.it/ Parliament] {{it icon}}
* [http://english.camera.it/ Chamber of Deputies]
* [http://www.senato.it/ Senate] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.italia.gov.it/ Main Institutional Portal] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.governo.it/ Council of Ministries] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.cortecostituzionale.it/ Constitutional Court] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.cortedicassazione.it/ Supreme Court] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.corteconti.it/English-co/index.asp Court of Accounts]
* [http://www.esteri.gov.it/eng/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
* [http://www.interno.it/ Ministry of the Interior] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.istruzione.it/ Ministry of Education] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.study-in-italy.it/ Ministry of Education: International Exchanges]
* [http://www.ministerosalute.it/ Ministry of Health] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.difesa.it/ Ministry of Defense] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.welfare.gov.it/ Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare]
* [http://www.attivitaproduttive.gov.it/ Ministry for Economic Development] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.politicheagricole.gov.it/ Ministry of Agriculture] {{it icon}}
* [http://www.giustizia.gov.it/sito_trad_inglese/en_index.htm Ministry of Justice]
; Public institutions
* [http://www.istat.it/english/ National Statistics Office]
* [http://www.enit.it/default.asp?an=uin&Lang=UK ENIT Italian State Tourism Board]
* [http://www.italiantourism.com/ ENIT North America]
* [http://www.trenitalia.it/en/index.html Italian Railways]
* [http://www.parks.it/Eindex.html Italian National and Regional Parks]
; Other
* [http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Italy:_Primary_Documents History of Italy: Primary Documents]
* [http://www.fastionline.org/ List and maps of archaeological sites in Italy]
* [http://vlib.iue.it/hist-italy/Index.html WWW-VL: History: Italy] at IUE
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