Official English Name: Italian Republic
Official Local Name(s): Repubblica italiana
Common English Name: Italy
Capital: Rome

Learn everything you need to know about Italy in under 2 minutes!

Official Language(s)

Italian
Secondary Languages: German, French, Slovene

Resources

Coal, Mercury, Zinc, Potash, Marble, Barite, Asbestos, Pumice, Fluorspar, Feldspar, Pyrite (sulfur), Natural gas, Crude oil, Fish, Arable land

Neighbors

France (West), Switzerland (North), Austria (Northeast), Slovenia (Northeast), Vatican City (Surrounding), San Marino (Surrounding)

Ethnic groups

Italian (92.00%), Romanian (1.81%), Moroccan (0.86%), Albanian (0.83%), Chinese (0.53%)

People

Est. Population:

62,007,540

Demonym:

Italian

Religions:

Christian (83.3%)
Atheist (12.4%)
Muslim (3.7%)
Buddhist (0.2%)
Hindu (0.1%)

Largest City:

Rome (2,864,731)

Other Cities:

Milan (1,345,851)
Naples (974,074)
Turin (890,529)
Palermo (674,435)
Genoa (586,655)

Geography

Region:

Southern Europe

Bodies of Water:

Adriatic Sea (East)
Ionian Sea (Southeast)
Mediterranean Sea (South and West)

Total Area:

301,340 km2 (97.6% land, 2.4% water)

Total Land:

1,836 km

Total Coastline:

7,600 km

Climate

Mediterranean
Alpine in far north

Terrain:

Mostly rugged and mountainous
Some plains
Coastal lowlands

Highest Point

Mont Blanc de Courmayeur (4,748 m)

Lowest Point

Sea Level

Natural Disasters

Landslides
Mudflows
Avalanches
Earthquakes
Volcanic activity
Flooding
Land subsidence

Government

Type:

Republic

Head of State:

President Sergio Mattarella

Head of Government:

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte

Admin. Divisions

15 Regions
5 Autonomous regions

Independence:

17 March 1861 (Founding of the Kingdom of Italy)

Nat'l Symbol:

Stella d’Italia

Nat'l Anthem:

Il Canto degli Italiani

Economy

GDP Per Capita

$35,800 (USD)

Currency

€ (Euro)

Exchange Rate

$1 (USD) = € (Euro)0.86

Communication

Internet Code

.it

Telephone Code

+39

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Cultural Notes

Making a hand gesture that is similar to eating is actually considered very rude and offensive.
Warm hugs are a typical way of greeting.
Italians tend to stand closer, uncomfortably close for some people, when conversing with you, with very direct eye contact and frequent interruptions.
Culture is a popular conversation topic.
Dining can take hours, and although punctuality is not a must, it still looks good to be on time.
Do not reciprocate with a gift unless one is given to you first. Avoid giving gifts with company logos.
Relationships are very important, even in business.
When presenting in a professional setting, make sure all presentations and handouts are visually appealing.
There tends to be respect with age and power.
Expressing disagreements is common in order to create constructive conflict.

Sources

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html (Majority of information)
http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/149003 (Ethnic data)
http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/129854 (Ethnic data)
http://www.pewforum.org/files/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf (Religious data)
http://www.istat.it/en/archive/dataset (City population data)
Wolfram|Alpha (Currency exchange data)
Information accurate to best of ability as of 9 November 2016