Wikijunior:Europe/Italy
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Italy (Repubblica Italiana) is a large country in southern Europe. It shares borders with Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and France. There are also two small countries within Italy: San Marino and the Vatican City (Holy See). The capital city is Rome (Roma). Other big cities in Italy are Milan (Milano), Venice (Venezia) and Naples (Napoli). Italy is well known for its cuisine, fashion and sports cars. Italy is a member of the European Union and uses the Euro as its currency.
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[edit] Italy's History
People have lived in Italy for over 200,000 years. Around 800 BC (800 years 'before Christ') Greek colonies were created along the southern coast of Italy and Sicily. Between that time and 200 AD the Roman Empire grew and governed over large parts of Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East.
Italy, as a unified country, was estanblished in 1861 although many parts of present day Italy (Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia for example) didn't become part of the country until later.
Under the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini Italy built up an empire including Albania, Lybia and Ethiopia and took control of the cities of Trieste and coastal regions of present day Slovenia and Croatia (where many native Italians lived). During World War II Italy was allied with Nazi Germany. Thanks to the Partisan movement, help from the British and American forces Italy was able to overthrow the facist government eventually. Since 1946 Italy has been a republic. The present Prime Minister of Italy is Silvio Berlusconi.
[edit] Italy's Geography
Italy is a land of contrasts and including a large coast line as well as mountains. Italy's highest mountain is Monte Bianco (known as Monte Blanc in English). The largest Italian islands are Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) and Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian). Italy's climate has resulted in a large industry for wine making. There are also two countries which are entirely surrounded by Italian territory: Vatican City and San Marino.
Italy is home to many active volcanoes and is an active earthquake zone. The largest volcano in Europe is Etna in Sicily.
Much of Italy has a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters but because of the large number of mountainous regions the climate varies enormously. Apart from in the mountains, the temperature in Italy rarely falls below 0°C and in summer often gets past 30°C.
[edit] Italy's People
Most people in Italy speak Italian but there are large minorities of German, Slovene and French speakers close to the borders with Austria, Slovenia and France. People in Italy have one of the longest life expectancies in the world.
[edit] Italy's Sights
Millions of tourists visit Italy every year. It is the world's 5th most popular destination for tourists with more than 25 million visitors every year. The most popular cities for tourists are Venice, Rome and Florence. Famous sights include the Grand Canal in Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum in Rome.
Sights from the Roman Empire like Pompeii, Naples, Ischia, Capri and Baiae are very popular with tourists.
Italy has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites (41 of them) than any other country in the world. The entire cities of Verona, Siena, Vicenza, Ferrara are World Heritage Sites.
