Italy
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Italy occupies a Peninsula running
southeast into the Mediterranean from the mainland of Europe. Its land borders
in the North are with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. To the East,
Italy faces former Yugoslavia across the Adriatic Sea. To the west is the
Tyrrhenian Sea.
Italy has many islands: the largest of them is Sicily. Sardinia, Elba and Capri
are also important.
Italy also includes two separate principalities: Vatican City in Rome and San
Marino.
Rome is the capital city and among other important cities are Florence, Genoa,
Milan, Naples, Turin and Venice.
In the North, Italy shares the Alps with France, Austria and Switzerland. A
major mountain chain, the Apennines, runs down the centre of the country.
Vesuvius, close to Naples, is the only active volcano on the European mainland;
Etna on Sicily is one of the world’s largest volcanoes.
The largest river in Italy is the Po, which begins in the Alpine region in the
west of the country and ends in an extensive delta on the Adriatic. The Tiber
and the Arno are the other major rivers.
Italy’s climate is varied. In the north winters are cold and the summers hot.
The Apennines also have cold, snowy winters. The south is warmer.
Population:
The population of Italy was estimated at 58,133,509 in 2006. There are small
numbers of German, French and Slovene Italians in the north. In the south there
are some Albanian and Greek Italians.
Languages: Italian is the main language of Italy. Modern Italian is derived from
Latin, the language of the Romans. In the north, close to the Austrian and Swiss
borders, German is also spoken, as is French in Piemont and Valle d’Aosta. Some
Slovene is spoken in the Trieste-Gorizia area.
Religion: The majority of Italians are Roman Catholics. The Vatican City in Rome
is the centre of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope, originally the Bishop of
Rome, is the head of the Church. Italy also has a small number of Jews.
Sport: Football is the most popular sport. The national team won the World Cup
in 1982 and the main clubs like Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan are among the
best in the world.
Basketball is also popular.
Ferrari is one of the world’s biggest names in motor racing and two Formula One
Grand Prix are staged in Italy: the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and the San
Marino Grand Prix.
With Mv Augusta and Moto Guzzi Italy has also had a great history in motor cycle
racing.
Cycle racing is very popular, with the Giro d’Italia one of the sport’s main
events. Skiing and other winter sports are major earners of tourism revenue and
Italy regularly produces medal winners in the Olympics and other championships.
Windsurfing and other water sports are popular on the northern lakes and around
the coastline.
Holidays: As the centre of the Roman Catholic Church, Italy celebrates all
Christian holidays and many Saints’ Days. Venice is famous for its Carnival in
February. Liberation Day is celebrated in April. The Palio, Siena’s famous
bareback horserace around the city’s main piazza, has been held in the summer
since 1283.
