All Cities in Italy. Base Camp in Italy :
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Italy Description Italy
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Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.
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Location
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Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
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Area - comparative
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slightly larger than Arizona
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Natural resources Italy Italy
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coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land
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Population Italy
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58,090,681 (July 2010 est.)
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Italy Religions Italy
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Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)
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Languages
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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)
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Italy Education Italy expenditures
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4.5% of GDP (2005)
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Government Italy type
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15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma)
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Independence
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Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
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Italy Economy - overview
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Investment Italy
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Industries Italy
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289.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Airports Italy
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gas 17,558 km; oil 1,241 km (2009)
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