Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Area in total
301,230 sq km
Land boundaries in 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
Coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land
Natural hazards
regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Population
58,133,509 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 13.8% (
male 4,147,149/female 3,899,980
)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 19,530,512/female 19,105,841
)
65 years and over: 19.7%
(male 4,771,858/female 6,678,169) (2006 est.)
Median age: 42.2 years
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)
Independence
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)
National holiday
Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
GDP
$1.727 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP per capita
$29,700 (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate
7% (2006 est.)
Government
Republic
Capital
Rome
Head of State
President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006)
Head of Government
Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 17 May 2006)
Inflation rate
2.3%
Major Trading Partners
EU (especially Germany , France, UK , Spain , Netherlands ), USA
Tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Currency
euro (EUR)
Internet country code
.it
Internet users
28.87 million (2005)
Time zone
GMT/UTC +1 (+2 in summer) (Central European Time)
Dialing Code
39
Electricity
230V, 50Hz
Tipping
Service charges are included in your restaurant bill, so you are not expected to tip. It is common practice, however, to leave a small amount.
Be aware that prices in Italian bars and cafes double (sometimes even triple) if you sit down.
