Country
Italy
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Italy, officially the
Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary
republic in south-central Europe. To the north it borders France,
Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south it
consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily,
Sardinia-the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea-and many
other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the
Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, whilst Campione d'Italia is
an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers
some 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate
seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth
most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the
world.
Modern Italy is a democratic republic. It has
been ranked the world's twenty-third most-developed country and its
quality-of-life index has been ranked in the top ten in the world.
Italy enjoys a very high standard of living, and has a high nominal
GDP per capita. It is a founding member of what is now the European
Union and part of the Eurozone. Italy is also a member of the G8,
G20 and NATO. It has the world's seventh-largest nominal GDP, tenth
highest GDP (PPP) and the sixth highest government budget in the
world. It is also a member state of the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, the
Council of Europe, the Western European Union and the United
Nations. Italy has the world's ninth-largest defence budget and
shares NATO's nuclear weapons.
Italy plays a prominent role in European and
global military, cultural and diplomatic affairs. The country's
European political, social and economic influence make it a major
regional power. The country has a high public education level and
is a highly globalised nation.
From
WIKIPEDIA the free encyclopedia