The Italian Republic (Reppublica Italiana)

Geography, history

The Italian Republic (Reppublica Italiana) is a country in the south of Europe.
It includes the two largest islands in the Mediterranean, Sicily (Sicilia) and Sardinia (Sardegna).
San Marino and the Papal State are enclaves in its territory, the latter being the seat of the Roman Catholic church.
Italy has a very diverse landscape, but can be primarily described as mountainous. In the north are the Alpes, and the Apennines mountain range runs through it. in the south there a several active vulcans the highest is the etna (3500m)

Italy has a long and highly interesting history and has seen many cultures, and a lot of invasions, strife and war.
It is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - art and monuments are everywhere around the country.
Like Germany, Italy took a relatively long time to reach the form of a modern nation-state. Consequently, its colonialist enterprise was a lot smaller than those of Britain or France.
The long division of Italian territories has made for clearly marked regional differences. The most important of these is that between north and south, the north being much more industrialised, and richer. The northern third of the country contains almost half of the total population.

With almost 60 million inhabitants, Italy is the fourth most populous country of the EU.
The largest Italian cities are Rome, Milano, Napoli, Torino, Palermo, Genoa, Bologna, Firenze, Bari and Catania.
Metropolitan areas
According to the OECD, these are the major Italian metropolitan areas: Milano (7.4 million), Roma (3.8 million), Napoli/Naples (3.1 million), Torino/Turin, (2.4 million).

Climate

Despite its position in the south of Europe, people from tropical regions are likely to find many parts of Italy cold, especially in winter. Seasonal differences are much larger than in the tropics.
Note that the following section uses European standards- and read "cold" for "cool", "cool" for "warm", etc. "Mild" usually just means it is not actually freezing- but it can be very chilly indeed.

The climate in Italy is highly diverse. The coastal areas can be very different from the interior higher altitudes, particularly during the winter months, when higher up it tends to be cold, wet, and sometimes snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers. Lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer.

Between the north and south there can be a considerable difference in temperature, above all during the winter: in some winter days it can be -2 °C and snowing in Milan, while it is 12 °C in Rome and 22 °C in Cagliari.
Summer temperatures are often similar north to south. Generally, the hottest month is August in the south and July in the north; during these months the thermometer can reach 38–42 °C in the south and 32–35 °C in the north. Sometimes the country can be split as during winter, with rain and 20–22 °C during the day in the north, and 30 °C to 40 °C in the south; but, having a hot and dry summer does not mean that Southern Italy will not see rain from June to August.

Economy

According to GDP calculations, Italy was ranked as the seventh largest economy in the world in 2006, behind the United States, Japan, Germany, China, UK, and France, and the fourth largest in Europe. According to the OECD, in 2004 Italy was the world's sixth-largest exporter of manufactured goods. This economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south.

Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported.
Italy's major exports are motor vehicles, chemicals, petrochemicals, electricity, home appliances, aerospace and defense, firearms; but the country's more famous exports are in the fields of fashion, food industry, luxury vehicles and motoryachts.
Tourism is very important to the Italian economy: with over 37 million tourists a year, Italy is ranked as the fifth major tourist destination in the world.

Migration

From long having been a country of emigration, Italy is now one of immigration.
It is a destination for immigrants from all over the world. At the end of 2006, foreigners comprised 5% of the population. (Compare: foreign-born as part of the population (2001): 2.5%) In some Italian cities, such as Brescia, Milan, Padua, and Prato, immigrants total more than 10% of the population.
Cities with largest foreign populations (2001): Milano (6%), Verona (5%), Firenze (5%)
Largest countries of origin (2005): Albania, Morocco, Romania.

The most recent wave of migration has been from surrounding European nations, particularly Eastern Europe, replacing North Africans as a major source of migrants. Around 500,000 Romanians are officially registered as living in Italy, but unofficial estimates put the actual number at double that figure or perhaps even more. As of 2006, migrants came from Eastern Europe (39.14%), North Africa (17.77%), Asia (17.43%), Latin America (8.90%). Smaller groups came from sub-Saharan Africa, North America and other European Union nations.

Italy, as a new country of immigration, with increasing flows, has seen a disjunction between the rhetoric and reality. The previous centre-right government promised to deliver Italy’s most stringent immigration laws in Italian history. But during its tenure, estimates suggest some of the largest levels of legal migration for family reunion, work, and asylum in Italian history. Even so, recent immigration, like in Spain, has made for social tension. The sudden and ongoing inflow of immigrants, particularly people arriving clandestinely by sea, has caused noticeable social tension.

Half of the population believe that unemployed immigrants should be deported. Yet Italians express some of the highest support of the EU for equal social rights for legally-resident foreign nationals (71.1%) and a similar proportion support their right to family reunion.