Brief Introduction Capital: Rome Area: total: 301318sq km National Flower: The important Festival: National day: 17 March Population: 57888200 Language: Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area). Currency: British pound (GBP).

Italy

Geography

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Administrative divisions

16 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 4 autonomous regions* (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia*, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna*, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige*, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta*, Veneto

Economy – overview

Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed, welfare-dependent agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget has breached the 3% EU deficit ceiling.

Culture and media

Newspaper:

Affari Italiani , Avvenire , Buvette, La , Corriere della Sera, Gazzetta dello Sport, Informatore Navale, L' , Internazionale , Liberazione, Metro, Opinione della Liberta, L'.

Broadcast: RAI, Giornale Radio Rai.

TV Stations:

24 Ore, RaiNews24 , INN , RAI Click .

The place of interest

Colosseo

Foro Romano

Pantheon