Italy, a European country with a long Mediterranean coastline, has left a powerful mark on Western culture and cuisine. Its capital, Rome, is home to the Vatican as well as landmark art and ancient ruins. Other major cities include Florence, with Renaissance masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s "David" and Brunelleschi's Duomo; Venice, the city of canals; and Milan, Italy’s fashion capital.
Languages: 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)
Ethnic Groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)
Belief Systems: Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)
Demographics:
Population: | 61.2 million people (World Rank: 23rd) (2014 estimate)
Population Density:| 539 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 63rd) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth:| 0.202 %/yr (World Rank: 198th) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: | 82.4 years (World Rank: 6th) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: | 43.3 years (World Rank: 3rd) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Italy
Worldatlas.com
Country Profile for Italy
United Nations
Italy - General Information
Encyclopedia.com
Tourism:
Travel Info for Italy
Travelnotes.org
Language Resources:
Government Related:
Italian Embassy
in Washington D.C.
Italian Government Web Sites
by Gunnar Anzinger
