Italy Figures and Facts
Official name: Italian Republic
State structure: republic. Head of State – President
Capital: Rome
Territory: 301.2 thousand square meters km
Geographical position: The country is located in the south of Europe. It occupies the Apennine Peninsula, the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, as well as many small islands. It borders: with France – in the west, with Austria and Switzerland – in the north, with Slovakia – in the northeast. It is washed by the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea – in the west, the Adriatic – in the east, the Mediterranean – in the south. See Countryvv for labor market in Italy.
The main rivers are the Po and the Tiber. Italy is predominantly a mountainous country: its north is occupied by the southern slopes of the Alps, where the highest peak in Europe Mont Blanc (4807 m) is located; to the south – the Padana plain, on the peninsula – the mountains of the Apennines (the highest point of the city of Korno is 2914 m).
There are two tiny states in Italy : the Vatican and the Republic of San Marino.
Climate: There are three climatic zones in Italy. In the mountainous regions (Alps and Apennines), winters are cold and summers are not hot. In the vicinity of Milan, the climate is moderately warm. In the rest of Italy, winters are quite mild, dry and hot summers are softened by a light sea breeze (its influence is most noticeable on the coast of the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas). In the south, in the mainland and on the islands, including Sicily, the climate is subtropical.
Population: 58050 thousand people (as of 1998)
Ethnic composition of the population: Italians – 98%, Friuli – 1.9%. In addition, 300,000 Austrians, 120,000 Albanians, 100,000 Slovenes, 90,000 French, 50,000 Jews, and others live in the country. The vast majority of the population professes Catholicism.
Official language: Italian. In hotels, restaurants, tourist centers, as a rule, you can explain yourself in English and French. German is understood in ski resorts and in the resorts of the northern Adriatic. Any, even the most awkward, attempts to communicate in Italian will be met with enthusiasm.
Official holidays: January 1 – New Year, January 6 – Epiphany, April 25 – Liberation Day from fascism, May 1 – Labor Day, the first Sunday of June – Republic Proclamation Day, August 15 – Assumption, November 1 – All Saints Day, November 4 – National Unity Day, December 8 – Immaculate Conception, December 25 – Christmas, December 26 – St. Stephen’s Day. Holiday with variable date – Easter Monday.
Monetary unit: euro. Currency exchange can be done in banks, in a hotel (the exchange rate is not very favorable), at the airport. Easy to use credit cards.
Geographical position
Italy is located in southern Europe in the central Mediterranean. In the north, Italy borders on Switzerland and Austria, in the east – on Slovenia, in the northwest – on France and is washed by the waters of four seas – the Adriatic in the east, in the south – the Ionian, in the west – the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian. Italy owns the islands – Sicily, Sardinia, Elba and several small islands. The territory of the country stretches from north to south for more than 1100 km and consists of 23% of valleys (river and coastal), 35% of mountains (Alps and Apennines) and 42% of hills of various heights.
Two independent states are also located on the territory of the Apennine Peninsula: the Vatican and San Marino.
About 57.3 million people live in Italy; hence the population density of 195 people per sq. km. The most densely populated areas are Lombardy, Campania, Lazio, Sicily, Piedmont and Veneto.
History of Italy
1000 BC e. – Tribes of Ligurians, Etruscans, Italics, Latins, Sabines lived on the territory of the country.
754 BC e. – Founding of the city of Rome by the Latins.
290 BC e. – Rome subjugated the territory of Central Italy.
265 BC e. – victory over the Greek commander Pyrrhus (“Pyrrhic victory”) and the conquest of southern Italy by Rome.
264-241 BC e. – I Punic War with Carthage. Rome received the islands of Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia.
216 BC e. – During the II Punic War, the Carthaginian commander Hannibal crossed the Alps and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Romans at the Battle of Cannae.
202 BC e. – Hannibal’s army was defeated by the Roman commander Scipio in the battle of Zama. Rome received the territory of Spain.
168 BC e. The Romans conquered the Balkan Peninsula.
158 BC e. – the expansion of the power of Rome to Asia Minor and Syria.
149-146 BC e. – III Punic War, which ended with the complete destruction of Carthage.
88-79 years BC e. Sulla’s dictatorship.
73-71 years BC e. – slave uprising led by Spartacus.
58-51 years BC. – Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul (modern France).
49-45 years BC e. – civil war and the victory of Julius Caesar. The decisive battle with Pompey was won at Pharsalae in 48 BC. e.
44 BC e. – the murder in Rome of J. Caesar.
31 BC e. – the defeat of the fleet of Antony and Cleopatra by Octavian at Cape Actions.
30 BC e – accession to Rome of Egypt. Octavian becomes Emperor Augustus and Rome becomes an empire.
Beginning of the 1st century – Roman conquest of Palestine and Judea.
43 – The Romans captured Britain.
106 – Rome subjugated the Dacians (modern Romania).
395 – division of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern (Byzantium).
410 – for the first time, the barbarians took and sacked Rome (the Visigoths, led by King Alaric).
455 – sack of Rome by vandals, destruction of many works of art.
476 – the leader of the Germanic tribes Odoacer overthrew the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Romulus Augustulus. Rome ceases to be the capital of the world.
488 – The Ostrogoths invaded Italy and founded their kingdom here.
554 – Byzantium established its rule in Italy.
774 – Italy is conquered by the Frankish emperor Charlemagne.
962 – campaigns in Italy of the German king Otto I. Formation of the Holy Roman Empire.
12th century – The Normans captured southern Italy and Sicily, forming the Kingdom of Sicily.
1559 – The Spaniards took possession of Sardinia and northern Italy.
1714 – the territory of northern Italy came under the rule of Austria.
1720 – formation of the Italian Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont).
1796-1814 – Napoleon’s reign over Italy.
1799 – Suvorov’s Italian campaign.
1860 – J. Garibaldi’s expedition to the south of the country and the liberation of Sicily from the Austrians.
1861 – Formation of a unified Italian kingdom under the scepter of the King of Piedmont, Victor Emmanuel II.
1866 expulsion of the Austrians from Venice.
1915 entry into World War I on the side of the Entente.
1919 – under a peace treaty, Italy received South Tyrol and Istria with the city of Trieste. The beginning of the fascist movement B. Mussolini.
1922 – “march on Rome” of the Italian fascists. Mussolini becomes prime minister (actually dictator of Italy).
1929 – Lateran agreements with the pope on the formation in the territory of Rome of the papal state of the Vatican.
1939 – “Steel Pact” about an alliance with Nazi Germany. Intervention of Italian troops in Albania.
1940 – Italy’s entry into World War II.
1943 – landing of Anglo-American troops in Sicily. Italy withdraws from the war by signing an armistice agreement. Entry into the country of German troops.
1945 – Mussolini’s execution and the end of the war in Italy.
1947 – As a result of a referendum, Italy is proclaimed a republic. Under the peace treaty, the country lost all colonies and territories in the Balkans. The city of Trieste is allocated to the free zone of the OO N.
1949 – Italy joins NATO.
1964 – reunification of the city of Trieste with the Italian Republic.
1983-1986 – active actions of the Italian government against the “Red Brigades” and the mafia.
