Italiana: Italy (

Italy (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja] ( listen)), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica
Italiana [reˈpubblika itaˈljaːna]),[9][10][11][12] is a country in Europe. Located in the middle of the

Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia
and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2
(116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61
million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous
country in Southern Europe.
Due to its central geographic location in Europe and the Mediterranean, Italy has historically
been home to a myriad of peoples and cultures. In addition to the various ancient Italian tribes
and Italic peoples dispersed throughout the Italian Peninsula and insular Italy, beginning from
the classical era, Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks established settlements in the south of
Italy, with Etruscans and Celts inhabiting the centre and the north of Italy respectively. The Italic
tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC, which eventually
became a republic with a government of the Senate and the People. The Roman Republic
conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the peninsula, in some cases through the
establishment of federations, and the Republic eventually expanded and conquered parts of
Europe, North Africa and the Near East. By the first century BC, the Roman Empire emerged as
the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and became the leading cultural, political and
religious centre of Western civilisation, inaugurating the Pax Romana, a period of more than 200
years during which Italy's technology, economy, art and literature flourished. Italy remained the
homeland of the Romans and the metropole of the Roman Empire.[13][14] The legacy of the Roman
Empire endured its fall and can be observed in the global distribution of culture, law,
governments, Christianity and the Latin script.
During the Early Middle Ages, Italy endured sociopolitical collapse and barbarian invasions, but
by the 11th century, numerous rival city-states and maritime republics, mainly in the northern
and central regions of Italy, rose to great prosperity through shipping, commerce and banking,
laying the groundwork for modern capitalism.[15] These mostly independent statelets served as
Europe's main trading hubs with Asia and the Near East, often enjoying a greater degree of
democracy than the larger feudal monarchies that were consolidating throughout Europe;
however, part of central Italy was under the control of the theocratic Papal States, while Southern
Italy remained largely feudal until the 19th century, partially as a result of a succession of
Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Angevin and Aragonese conquests of the region.[16]
The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in
humanism, science, exploration and art. Italian culture flourished, producing famous scholars,
artists and polymaths such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Galileo and
Machiavelli. During the Middle Ages, Italian explorers such as Marco Polo, Christopher
Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, John Cabot and Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered new routes to
the Far East and the New World, helping to usher in the European Age of Discovery.
Nevertheless, Italy's commercial and political power significantly waned with the opening of
trade routes that bypassed the Mediterranean.[16][17][18] Centuries of infighting between the Italian
city-states, such as the Italian Wars of the 15th and 16th centuries, left the region fragmented,
and it was subsequently conquered and further divided by European powers such as France,
Spain and Austria.
By the mid-19th century, rising Italian nationalism and calls for independence from foreign
control led to a period of revolutionary political upheaval. After centuries of foreign domination
and political division, Italy was almost entirely unified in 1871, establishing the Kingdom of
Italy as a great power.[19] From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Italy rapidly
industrialised, namely in the north, and acquired a colonial empire,[20] while the south remained
largely impoverished and excluded from industrialisation, fuelling a large and influential
diaspora.[21] Despite being one of the main victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of
economic crisis and social turmoil, leading to the rise of a fascist dictatorship in 1922.
Participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in military defeat, economic destruction and
the Italian Civil War. Following the liberation of Italy and the rise of the resistance, the country
abolished the monarchy, reinstated democracy, enjoyed a prolonged economic boom and, despite
periods of sociopolitical turmoil (e.g. the anni di piombo, the Maxi Trial, and mani pulite)
became a major advanced country.[22][23][24]
Today, Italy is considered to be one of the world's most culturally and economically developed
countries, with its economy ranking eighth largest in the world and third in the Eurozone. As an
advanced economy, it has the sixth-largest worldwide national wealth, and is ranked third for its
central bank gold reserve. Italy has a very high level of human development, and it stands among
the top countries for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global
economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, and it is both a regional power[25][26] and a great
power.[27][28] Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union and a member of
numerous international institutions, including the UN, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the WTO,
the G7, the G20, the Union for the Mediterranean, the Council of Europe, Uniting for Consensus,
the Schengen Area and many more.
As a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 54 World Heritage Sites, the most in the
world, and is the fifth-most visited country.

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Italy (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja] ( listen)), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica

Italiana [reˈpubblika itaˈljaːna]),[9][10][11][12] is a country in Europe. Located in the middle of the

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