Official Name: Known officially as the Italian Republic, or commonly Italy.
Capital: Rome, the Capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populous city, is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula on the Tiber river.
Location: Italy is situated in Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia.
Size: The total land area of Italy is 301,340 square kilometers and this ranks 78th globally. It is slightly larger than Arizona in the USA.
Climate: The climate in Italy is predominantly Mediterranean. The summers are hot and dry while winters are and cool and wet. Snow falls in the north in winter, and summer in the south can be extremely hot.
Population: Italy has an estimated population of 58.1 million people and ranks 24th globally. There is a negative population growth rate of -0.047%. Countries like Russia and Germany also have a negative population growth rate of -0.47% and -0.053% respectively.
Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at birth for Italy is 80.2 years, ranking at 19th globally. Females have a longer average life span at 83.33 years, while Males average at 77.26 years from birth.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Italy is approximately about 0.4%, placing 82nd globally. This means that around 150,000 people are living with the disease in the country.
Major Illnesses: Potential health risks in Italy include Influenza A, Swine Flu, Measles, Meningococcal Meningitis, Chikungunya Fever and Legionnaire's Disease.
Ethnic Groups: Italy is comprised mainly of people identifying their ethnicity as Italian and whom account for about 95% of the population. The remaining 5% of the population includes small clusters of German-Italian, French-Italian, Slovene-Italian in the north, Albanian-Italian and Greek-Italian in the south.
Languages: The official language in Italy is Italian, accounting for about 99% of the population. The remaining 1% of the population speaks other languages including German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region) and Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area).
Religion:The major religion in Italy is Roman Catholic accounting for 90% of the population and other religions (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Islamic migrant community) account for the remaining 10%.
Government: The Government of Italy is a Democratic Republic. The president of the Republic is elected for seven years by the parliament sitting jointly with a small number of regional delegates. The president nominates the prime minister, who chooses the other ministers. The Council of Ministers in practice is composed mostly of members of parliament and must retain the confidence of both the legislative houses. The houses of parliament are directly elected by a proportional representation system.
Head of State: The Head of State in Italy is President Giorgio Napolitano, who is elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term with no term limits.
Head of Government: The Head of Government in Italy is the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament.
Military: The Federal Armed Forces of Italy are divided into four branches. Italian Army, Italian Navy, Italian Air Force and Carabinieri Corps. The suitable age for voluntary military service is 17-27 year of age, with a 10-month service obligation.
Economy: The economy of Italy has come a long way, moving from a World War II agricultural economy, to the fourth largest economy in Europe today with a diversified sector base. The country’s economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south, with more than 20% unemployment. The diversified industrial economy of Italy has roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. Most raw materials required by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported from other countries.
GDP: Italy has a purchasing power parity of US$1.823 trillion, ranking at 11th in the world. The country has a negative growth rate of about -1%, which ranks 209th globally.
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