This article is about the country. For other uses, see Italy (disambiguation). Coordinates: 43°N 12°E Italian Republic Repubblica Italiana (Italian) Flag of Italy Flag Emblem of Italy Emblem Anthem: Il Canto degli Italiani (Italian) "The Song of the Italians" MENU0:00 EU-Italy (orthographic projection).svg Show globe Show map of Europe Show all Location of Italy (dark green) – in Europe (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union (light green) – [Legend] Capital and largest city Rome 41°54′N 12°29′E Official languages Italiana Native languages see full list Ethnic groups (2017)[1] 91.5% Italians 8.5% Others Religion 74.4% Catholicism 22.6% Irreligious 3.0% Other[2] Demonym Italian Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic • President Sergio Mattarella • Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte • President of the Senate Elisabetta Casellati • President of the Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico Legislature Parliament • Upper house Senate of the Republic • Lower house Chamber of Deputies Formation • Foundation of the Italic League 30 August 1454 • Unification 17 March 1861 • Republic 2 June 1946 • Admission to the United Nations 14 December 1955 • Foundation of the EEC (now European Union) 1 January 1958 Area • Total 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) (71st) • Water (%) 2.4 Population • 2017 estimate 60,483,973 Increase[3] (23rd) • Density 201.3/km2 (521.4/sq mi) (63rd) GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate • Total ,2.399 trillion [4] (12th) • Per capita ,39,499[4] (32nd) GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate • Total 2.181 trillion[5] (8th) • Per capita ,35,913[4] (25th) Gini (2016) 33.1[6] medium HDI (2015) Increase 0.887[7] very high · 26th Currency Euro (€)b (EUR) Time zone CET (UTC+1) • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Date format dd/mm/yyyy (AD) Drives on the right Calling code +39c ISO 3166 code IT Internet TLD .itd German is co-official in South Tyrol; French is co-official in the Aosta Valley; Slovene is co-official in the province of Trieste and the province of Gorizia; Ladin is co-official in South Tyrol, in Trentino and in other northern areas; Sardinian is co-official in Sardinia.[8] Before 2002, the Italian lira. The euro is accepted in Campione d'Italia but its official currency is the Swiss franc.[9] To call Campione d'Italia, it is necessary to use the Swiss code +41. The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. Italy (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja] (About this sound listen)), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica Italiana [reˈpubblika itaˈljaːna]),[10][11][12][13] is a sovereign state in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous in southern Europe. Since classical times, ancient Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks established settlements in the south of Italy, with Etruscans and Celts inhabiting the centre and the north of Italy respectively, and various ancient Italian tribes and Italic peoples dispersed throughout the Italian Peninsula and insular Italy. The Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated its neighbours. Ultimately, the Roman Empire emerged in the 1st century BC as the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and became the leading cultural, political and religious centre of Western civilisation. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the global distribution of civilian, republican governments, Christianity and the Latin script.
