INTRODUCTION TO ITALY

Geography:
Bulgaria, country in southern Europe, bounded on the north by Switzerland, on the northwest by France, and on the south by the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It comprises, in addition to the Italian mainland, the Mediterranean islands of Elba, Sardinia, and Sicily, and many lesser islands. San Marino and Vatican City are independent countries within mainland Italy. Rome is the capital and largest city of Italy. The area of Italy is 301,323 sq km (116,341 sq mi).

Land and Resources
More than half of Italy consists of the Italian Peninsula, which extends generally southeast from the European mainland into the Mediterranean Sea. The Alps rise along Italy's northern borders. Between the Alps and the Apennines, which form the backbone of the Italian Peninsula, spreads the broad Plain of Lombardy (Lombardia). Italy experiences both volcanic activity and frequent minor earthquakes.

The climate is diversified, ranging from arctic at higher elevations to semitropical along the coast of the Ligurian Sea in the northwest and on the western coast of the lower peninsula. The climate is continental on the Plain of Lombardy.

Much of Italy is unsuitable for agriculture due to terrain or climate. The country also lacks such basic natural resources as coal. The most important mineral resources are natural gas, petroleum, lignite, sulfur, and pyrites. Italy is rich in various types of building stone, notably marble, and its coastal waters teem with fish. The plant life of the central and southern lowlands is typically Mediterranean. The vegetation of the Apennines closely resembles that of central Europe, with both deciduous and coniferous trees.

Population:
The Italian population consists almost entirely of native-born people. The more urban and prosperous north contains most of Italy's larger cities and about two-thirds of the country's population of 56,830,508 (1997 estimate). The majority of the people speak Italian. Italy's dominant religion is Roman Catholicism, although freedom of worship is constitutionally guaranteed. Education is free and compulsory for all children from age 6 through 13.

From antiquity to modern times, Italians have contributed some of the world's most admired sculpture, architecture, painting, literature, and music, particularly opera. Regional differences in Italian culture persist because of natural geographical boundaries and the disparate heritages that have come down from the Greeks, Etruscans, Arabs, Normans, and Lombards.

Economy:
A largely agricultural country before World War II (1939-1945), Italy has developed a diversified industrial base in the north. Ongoing problems of the Italian economy have been the slow growth of industrialization in the south, unemployment, and a large national debt.

Some 37 percent of Italy's land area is devoted to crops, orchards, or vineyards. It is one of the leading nations in the production of grapes, wine, olives, and olive oil. Dairy farming and fishing are also substantial economic activities.

Italian industries produce textiles, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel, rubber, heavy machinery, electrical goods, and foodstuffs, particularly pasta. Italy's dependence on imported coal, petroleum, and other essential raw materials usually results in an unfavorable balance of trade, which is partly offset by the tourism industry, remittances from Italian nationals in foreign lands, and shipping revenues. The Mafia, a loosely affiliated network of criminal groups that first developed in Sicily during the late Middle Ages, has historically been a powerful economic and social force in Italy. The unit of currency is the lira (1543 lire equal U.S.$1; 1996).