Italy
The Unified Peninsula - Leslie Ruiz
Geographic
The flag of Italy ----->
Land Area: 116,347 mi²Bodies of Water:
- Mediterranean Sea
- Tyrhenian Sea
- Adriatic Sea
- Ionian Sea
- Po Lake
- Grand Canal
A Map of Italy
Venice, Italy at Night
The Colosseum in Rome, Italy
Political
President: Sergio Matarella
Prime Minister: Metteo Renzi
Government Type:
- Unitary state
- Parliamentary republic
- Constitutional republic
- Republic
The president of Italy --->
Economic
Monetary Unit: Euro (€)
Gross domestic product: 2.149 trillion USD (2013)
GDP per capita: 35, 925.88 USD (2013)
<---- Euro
Social
Religion:
- Catholic (88%)
- No Religion (6%)
- Orthodox (2%)
- Islam (2%)
- Other (2%)
- Protestant (1%)
Literacy Rate: 99%
National Holiday: Republic Day, June 2
Main Food: Italian food (pasta, pizza, bread, etc.)
History
- 800 - 600 B.C.: Greeks, Etruscans, and others settle in Italy.
- 753 B.C: Rome is founded. This marks the beginning of the Roman Kingdom.
- 509 B.C: The monarchy is overthrown, and Italy becomes a republic. From 46 to 44 B.C., Julius Caesar rules as dictator.
- 27 B.C.: Augustus becomes the first emperor of the Roman Empire. He is Julius Caesar's grand-nephew and adopted son.
- 1200 - 1600 A.D: Rome, Florence and Venice prosper during the Renaissance, a period of renewed interest in culture.
- 1861: Italy becomes a united nation under King Victor Emmanuel II.
- 1915: Italy enters World War I on the side of the Allies.
- 1940 - 1943: Italy sides with Germany and enters World War II. In 1943, dictator Benito Mussolini is forced to resign.
- 1946: Italians vote to end the monarchy and becomes a democratic republic.
- 1984: Catholicism is no longer the country's formal state religion.
- 2008: Billionaire Silvio Berlusconi returns to power as prime minister. He begins a third term.
- 2009: In April, the mountainous area of Abruzzo is badly hit by an earthquake. Many people are injured and left homeless.
Sources
- factmonster.com
- kids.britannica.com
- timeforkids.com