Physical geography
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia. Total area: 301,230 sq km, land area: 294,020 sq km. Note: includes Sardinia and Sicily. Land boundaries: total 1,899.2km, Austria 430km, France 48km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2km, San Marino 39km, Slovenia 199km, Switzerland 740km. Coastline: 4,996km. Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands. Natural resources: mercury, potash, marble, sulphur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal.Climate
Predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south.Economic geography
Since the Second World War the Italian economy has changed from one based on agriculture into a ranking industrial economy, with approximately the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. The country is still divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and an undeveloped agricultural south, dominated by large public enterprises. Services account for 48 per cent of GDP, industry 35 per cent, agriculture four per cent, and public administration 13 per cent. Most raw materials needed by industry and over 75 per cent of energy requirements must be imported. In the second half of 1992, Rome became unsettled by the prospect of not qualifying to participate in EU plans for economic and monetary union later in the decade; thus it finally began to address its huge fiscal imbalances. Subsequently, the government has adopted fairly stringent budgets, abandoned its highly inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its extremely generous social welfare programmes, including pension and healthcare benefits. Monetary officials were forced to withdraw the lira from the European monetary system in September 1992 when it came under extreme pressure in currency markets. For the 1990s, Italy faces the problems of pushing ahead with fiscal reform, refurbishing a tottering communications system, curbing pollution in major industrial centres, and adjusting to the new competitive forces accompanying the ongoing expansion and economic integration of the European Union.Demography
Population: 58,261,971 (July 1995 est.).Religions
Roman Catholic 98 per cent, other two per cent.Languages spoken by nationals
Italian, 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).Time
One hour ahead of GMT.Currency
The currency is the Italian lira, with the December 96 exchange rate being £1 = L2553.761192 or US$1 = L1,526.What one should not fail to see
Rome: There are the Temples of Fortuna Virilis and the circular Temple of Hercules; remnants of a Roman bridge across the Tiber - Ponte Rotto; the Baths of Caracalla with its gymnasia; the Pyramid of Caius Cestius - his tomb; and the Catacombs that held the dead bodies of early Christians, Roman Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain. See the Vatican City with St Peter's Basilica and Square and Vatican Museum containing many famous works as well as the painted Cistine Chapel.Venice: The Madonna dell'Orto, Basilica of San Marco, Santa Maria dell'Assunta, Santa Maria del Salute, Rialto Bridge, The Grand Canal, The Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, The Palazzo Ducale, Accademia, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and The Madonna dell'Orto, plus the Peggy Guggenheim modern art gallery. Florence: Ponte Vecchio (old bridge), The Duomo of Florence has become the symbol of Florence, Statue of David, The Ufuzzi Gallery, The Bargello, and The Galleria dell'Accademia.
Milan: Duomo of Milan, La Scala opera house, the Santa Maria delle Grazie and Pinacoteca di Brera.
Pisa: where Galileo taught, with its famous leaning tower.
Pompei: with the ruins the volcano Vesuvius left behind.
Naples: Duomo of San Genarro, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, the Gesù Nuovo, and the Catacombs of San Genarro. Also tour the picturesque Tuscan countryside, reside by the coast or climb and ski in the Dolomites or Alps.
What to eat and drink
Italy gave the world lasagne and pizza and reinvented spaghetti. Also try Mediterranean fresh vegetables such as olives, and tomatoes, or basil, and Italian wines. Various breads such as bruschetta and ciabatta, sweet panettone, parma ham, parmesan and ricotta cheese.What to buy
Clothes for men and women (dresses, shoes, gloves, silk ties, shirts); lacework, jewellery, leather goods (handbags, cases, boxes, luggage), ceramics, gold and silver hems, alabaster, woodwork, straw, embroidery, glass and crystal ware.
