Key Facts on the country of Italy
Location
Italy, situated in Southern Europe, is a boot-shaped peninsula extending into the Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia.
Land Area
Italy is slightly larger than the State of Arizona and stretches over an area of 301,230 sq km, which consists of 292,040 sq km of land area and 7,210 sq km of water area. Italy has a coastline of 7,600 km.
Climate
Italy's climate is variable but generally Mediterranean . In general the winters are cold but not excessively so, while the summers are hot but rarely scorching, rainfall is not normally plentiful. Italy's climate is also strongly influenced by altitude, as such a large part of its terrain is occupied by hills and mountains, while the notable length of the country accentuates progressively southwards the Mediterranean climatic features that is to say aridity and mildness.
Natural Resources and Hazards
The most recognized natural resources of Italy are mercury, coal, asbestos, potash, barite, sulfur, pumice, marble, fluorspar, feldspar, natural gas and crude oil reserves, zinc, fish and arable land. Some experienced natural hazards in Italy were landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding and land subsidence.
Population and Employment
Italy has a total population of 58,103,033 (July 2005 est.) inhabitants with an average life expectancy at birth of 79.68 years. It has a total labour force of 24.27 million (2004 est.) people working mainly in - agriculture 5%, industry 32% and services 63% (2001 est.). Italy has a fairly high unemployment rate of 8.6% (2004 est.).
Religion
The Main Religion of Italy is predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a fast growing Muslim immigrant community.
Flag
Italy's flag consists of three equal vertical bands of green (left side), white (middle), and red (right side), similarly to the flag of Ireland.
Economy
Italy has a expanded industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the United Kingdom. It has a purchasing power parity of $1.609 trillion (2004 est.) and a real growth rate of 1.3% (2004 est.).
Agricultural Products and Main Industries
The main agricultural products of Italy are vegetables, fruits, potatoes, grapes, sugar beets, grain, olives; beef, soybeans, dairy products and fish. The main recognized industries in Italy are machinery, tourism, chemicals, food processing, iron and steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, ceramics and motor vehicles.
Capital
The capital of Italy is Rome with a population of 2,656,000 inhabitants.
Time Zone
GMT plus 2 hours.
