Italian Republic

Form of government: Republic

Population: 58,090,681 (2010 estimate)

Capital: Rome

Area: 301,323 km², 116,341sq mile

Largest cities: Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo

Ethnic groups: Italian ( includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Sloven-Italians in the north and Albanian- and Greek-Italians in the south), Sicilian, Sardinian.

Languages: Italian (official), German, French, Slovenian, Ladin, regional Italian dialects

Religious affiliations: Roman Catholic 98%, Other 2%

Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GDP): 4.5% (2005)

Number of years of compulsory schooling: 10 years (2007)

Monetary unit: 1 euro (€), consisting of 100 cents

Economy: Agriculture (Grapes, olives, wheat, tomatoes, maize, sugar beets, apples, peaches, potatoes), Manufacturing (Machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, chemicals)

Major trade partners for exports: Germany, France, United States, Spain, and United Kingdom

Major trade partners for imports: Germany, France, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States