Capital of Italy

Rome, Italy
Total Area of Italy
Total: 301,230 sq km
Land: 294,020 sq km
Water: 7,210 sq km
Note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Population of Italy
58,103,033 (July 2005 est.)
Languages of Italy
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area).

English is widely understood in tourist areas

Literacy in Italy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99%
female: 98.3% (2003 est.)

Religions in Italy

Italy is predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community

Life Expectancy in Italy

total population: 79.68 years
male: 76.75 years
female: 82.81 years (2005 est.)

Government Type of Italy

republic

Currency in Italy

Euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries . See Euro   for currency conversion.

Year GDP - real growth rate (%)
2000 1.3
2001 2.7
2002 0.4
2003 0.4
2004 0.4
2005 1.3
2006 0.1
2007 1.9
2008 1.4
2009 -1

Definition of GDP - real growth rate: This entry gives GDP growth on an annual basis adjusted for inflation and expressed as a percent.

1997 56.879 0.06 %
1998 56.857 -0.04 %
1999 56.906 0.09 %
2000 57.044 0.24 %
2001 57.229 0.32 %
2002 57.382 0.27 %
2003 57.399 0.03 %
2004 57.442 0.07 %
2005 58.077 1.11 %
2006 58.435 0.62 %
2007 58.88 0.76 %
2008 59.336 0.77 %
2009 59.779 0.75 %
2010 60.206 0.71 % [continues]

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