Italy

Capital of Italy: Rome
Population of Italy: 61,016,804
Total area of Italy: 301,340 km2

Italy or the Italian Republic is located in South-central Europe. Its flag consists of three vertical stripes in green, followed by white, followed by red. Its emblem is gray, white, green and red and consists of a circle of leaves with the banner saying “Republica Italiana” at the bottom. A white star is at the center of the emblem.

Italy population

The population of Italy is around 60.6 million individuals, making it the fourth largest country in the EU. About 68 percent of the people live in urban areas. More people live in Northern Italy than live in Southern Italy, which is largely rural. After WWII, many immigrants came to Italy and the fertility rate was high. This has since diminished so the deaths exceed the birth rate. The population has only been increasing because of the influx of immigrants. The birth rate is currently 1.4 per woman as of 2008. The official language of Italy is Italian but many speak English as well.  

History of Italy

Italy has a long and colorful history. It contains the city of Rome, which was for many centuries the center of political civilization in the West. After Rome declined, the country was invaded by Germanic tribes, the Byzantines and the Normans, among many others. It was also the center of the Renaissance of the western world, with many artists and architects making creations that exist today. The country consisted of many kingdoms and a few city-states after Rome fell but it was considered a unified country after 1861. After that, it had somewhat of an empire, taking territories in Africa and the eastern portion of Europe. It fought with the Axis in WWII and lost. Today, the country is considered a democratic republic and is very well developed with a high standard of living.