Italy

Capital City - Rome
Currency - Euro
Population - 60,418,711 (April 2010 estimate)
National Language - Italian
Religion - More than 90% of the Italian people consider themselves Christian - of that group 88 percent are Roman Catholics and the remaining 2% are various other Protestant denominations.  Atheists now make up 5% of the population (though, even the majority of Christians polled admitted they were not actively religious).  Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Sikhs and Hindus make up the remaining 5%.
Type of Government - Unitary Parliamentary Republic
Leaders - Giorgio Napolitano (President); Silvio Berlusconi (Prime Minister)
Country's Motto - "Per l`onore d`Italia" - Translates to mean "For the honor of Italy."

Geographical Highlights - The Italian Republic is a country in southern Europe.  It is made up of the entire Italian peninsula as well as Sicily, Sardinia, and many other smaller islands.  Italy also engulfs two countries within its borders, including the small nations of San Marino and Vatican City.  It is bordered by France, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland to the north, the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west.  The landscape is varied, ranging from the cold northern Alpine region to the warmer Mediterranean region of the south.  Additionally, Italy has three active volcanoes: Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius.

History - Archealogical excavations have found that people have been living in Italy for over 200,000 years.  Between the 17th and 11th centuries B.C., the Mycenaean Greeks established contact with the early Italian people; and, by the 8th and 7th centuries B.C., they established colonies along Sicily and the southern part of the Italian peninsula.  The rise of ancient Rome began around the 8th century B.C. and began to decline by the 4th century A.D.  After ruling a large part of Europe, the Roman Empire formally disbanded and created sub-sections of the Eastern and Western Empires.  In between the time of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, Italy, as was true for all of Europe, lived in a period called the "Dark Ages."  The Black Death pandemic killed about 1/3 of the population.

Having given birth to some of the most respected and beloved artists (Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli, Raphael, Perugino, Titian) and writers (Petrarch, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Dante), it could be contended that the birthplace of all modern art and literature came from Italy.  The Renaissance was just the beginning of the illumination of such talent.

Italy's more modern history was more notably tainted by foreign rule.  However, 1814 brought about a reunification of the Italian peninsula.  During WWI, Italy remained neutral; though they would not remain as such during the Second World War.  Fascist Mussolini created an alignment with Franco and Hitler for the three nations to become known as the "Axis Powers."  Following WWII, Italy became a republic once again and have remained as such since that time.

Landmarks -

•The Coliseum - The most symbolic location within Rome, the Coliseum was the arena for Gladiators to show their strength.  Even though in ruins, it is still a most impressive architectural giant.
•The Leaning Tower of Pisa - This famous tower in Pisa begins its odd slope by the time it reaches the third floor in height.  Attempts to straighten the building have been thwarted due to fear of complete annihilation.
•St. Peter's Basilica - One of the most famous churches in the world, St. Peter's Basilica is a Roman landmark known to house the tomb of St. Peter beneath its altar.  Michaelangelo's "Pieta" is also on display near the entrance.

•Ponte Vecchio Bridge - Spanning the Arno River in Florence, the Ponte Vecchio Bridge is Europe's oldest stone, open-spandrel, segmented arch bridge - originally built in 1345.  It is said that the word bankruptcy originated here when a merchant had his table ("banco") broken ("rotto") by soldiers after being unable to pay.  Another interesting tidbit about the bridge - it was the only Florentine bridge spared by the Nazi's during WWII. 

•Appian Way - A stone paved road completed in 312 B.C. was the route that connected Rome to the ancient cities of Brindisi and Apulia.  It is an amazing feat of ancient engineering.

•Rialto Bridge - This iconic medieval bridge spans the Grand Canal in Venice, housing shops along its corridors.  For more than 1,000 years, it has been the commercial center of the city.

•Trevi Fountain - The lore behind this Roman fountain claims that if you throw in a penny you will be guaranteed a return to the city. 

Interesting Trivia -

•The word ‘ghetto’ comes from the Ghetto area of Venice, where all the city’s Jews were forced to live in the 16th century.

•Ancient poet Homer thought that the Campo Flegrei in the Campania region, near Naples, was the entrance to Hades.

•Over two-thirds of the city of Siena’s population was wiped out when the plague struck in 1348. It was the worst hit of all the towns in Tuscany.

•The cathedral in Genoa still contains an unexploded bomb. It was dropped on the city by the British during the first world war, and no-one has ever got around to removing it.

•In Italy, Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" and Santa Claus is called Babbo Natale.

•Napoleon had conquered Italy by the time he was 26 years old.

•The Bank of America was originally called the Bank of Italy.

•Cantaloupes are named after the gardens of Cantaloupe, Italy where this melon is believed to have first been grown.