|
Italy
Fact
Sheet :
-
Area : 301,230
sq km
-
Population :
58,147,733 (July 2007 est.)
-
Capital :
Rome
-
Language :
Italian (official)
-
Currency : Euro
-
Government type : republic
-
Elements of History :
|
 |
|
Italy
became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the
peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under
King Victor EMMANUEL. An era of parliamentary government came
to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established
a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi
Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic
republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival
followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European
Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of
European economic and political unification, joining the European
Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal
immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment,
and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy
compared with the prosperous north.
-
Climate : predominantly
Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
|
