What is a What are fact about Italy?

Answer 1

# Italy is slightly larger than Arizona.

# Almost 20% of Italy's population is over 65 years old.

# Italy borders Austria, France, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

# Its longest border is with Switzerland.

# The average Italian family has 1.27 children.

# Everybody 18 and over can vote, however you have to be at least 25 to vote in Senate elections.

# The Italian flag is inspired by the French flag introduced during Napoleon's 1797 invasion of the peninsula.

# The average Italian makes $26,700 a year, however those in the more prosperous north make almost $40,000

# The thermometer is an Italian invention.

# Italy's unemployment rate is around 8.6%, but it is as high as 20% in the more impoverished south.

# Italian farms produce grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives, beef, and dairy.

# The average life expectancy at birth for an Italian is 79.54 years.

# The famous children's story, Pinocchio , was written by an Italian.

# The city of Naples gave birth to the pizza .

# The piano hails from Italy.

# The longest river in Italy is the Po.

# The average Italian consumes half a pound of bread a day.

# Italy's contributions to science include the barometer, electric battery, nitroglycerin, and wireless telegraphy.

# Famous Italian explorers include Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, John Cabot, and Amerigo Vespucci.

# Today's modern Italian language originated in the region of Tuscany.

# Enrico Fermi, inventor of the nuclear reactor, was an Italian.

# The automobile, Fiat , is one of Italy's greatest products.

# With almost 40 million visitors, Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world.

# Italy is home to two microstates, San Marino and Vatican City .

# Besides Julius Caesar, Shakespeare also set in Italy ( entirely or partially):

Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline,Much Ado About Nothing, Othello,The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona,The Winter's Tale

# Cologne came out of Italy.

# The ice cream cone is an Italian invention.

# The majority of Italian-American immigrants came from Naples and southern Italy.

# The ancient city of Pompeii was destroyed by the volcano Mt. Vesuvius.

# Mt. Vesuvius last erupted in 1944, destroying a number of neighboring villages.

# Eyeglasses are an Italian invention.

# The average Italian is 41 years old.

# Italy has 16 regions and 4 autonomous regions.

# Before adopting the euro, Italy's currency was known as the lira.

# The average Italian consumes 26 gallons of wine a year.

# Italy's major industries include tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, and ceramics.

# Italy has more hotel rooms than any other nation in Europe.

# The espresso machine hails from Italy.

# Italy is the world's fifth largest industrial economy.

# Barely a third of Italy's land is arable and suitable for farming.

# Italy's biggest trading partners are Germany, France, the United States, and Great Britain.

# Over 40% of Italy's labor force is unionized.

# The telephone was created by an Italian (Meucci) *Note.

# Most of Italy's industry is centered around the northern cities of Milan, Turin and Genoa .

# Since the end of WWII, Italy has seen almost 60 governments come and go.

# The area around Venice is the wealthiest region in Europe.

# Over 75% of Italy is mountainous or hilly.

# The typewriter is an Italian invention.

# Italians used to be known for having large families, however Italy is now known for having Europe's lowest birthrate.

# Italy owes much of its prosperity to thousands of small private family enterprises.

# Italian families save more money than the Japanese and Germans, and three times more than Americans do.

# The average Italian consumes 25 kilograms of pasta a year.

# With over

# 5 million people, Rome is Italy's largest Italy.

# Italy has a population of over 58 million.

# Italians refer to their country as Italia.

# Italy imports over 75% of its energy.

# The service sector accounts for almost 70% of the Italian economy.

# Agriculture used to make up over a third of Italy's economy. It now makes up less than three percent.

# The official language is Italian, but German and French are also spoken in some regions.

# Italy's north has warm summers and cool winters. Italy's south has hot summers and mild winters.

# The Seven Hills of Rome are Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal.

# The symbol SPQR can be found on many ancient buildings in Rome. It stands for "the senate and people of Rome."

# Rome was founded in 753 BC.

# Italy did not become a united country until 1861

# The national protest song of Italy is Bella Ciao. It was made famous by Italian partisans in WWII, and can be heard at almost any protest.

# Before Rome became a republic and an empire, it had seven kings.

# The first king of Rome was its legendary founder, Romulus.

# "Ars longa, vita brevis" is a common saying in Italy. It means "art is long, life is short" and reflects the Italian love of leisure.

# An engineering marvel of the ancient world, Cloacus Maxima, is the sewer of Rome.

# The first Roman Emperor was Augustus Octavian, who came to power in 27 BC.

# The Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, after its last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was forced to abdicate by barbarian invaders.

# A Roman Centurion commanded 100 hundred men.

# A Roman Legion was made up of 6,000 men.

# Italy has a resident foreign population of 1.27 million.

# Italy's current constitution took effect January 1, 1948

# The president of Italy is a ceremonial figure.

# The prime minister serves as the head of government and is the one who runs the country.

# Since October 1946, the national anthem of Italy has been Inno de Memeli .

# The Italian flag is green, white, and red.

# The colors of the Italian flag represent three virtues: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red).

# The Italian Republic does not have an official motto, but it does have a common phrase: "L'Italia è una Repubblica democratica, fondata sul lavoro" (Italy is a democratic Republic, founded on labor).

# St. Francis of Assissi and Saint Caterina of Siena are the patron saints of Italy.

# 98% of Italians are Roman Catholic.

# The Roman Catholic Church is based in Italy.

# Italy has over 3,000 museums.

# The national sport of Italy is soccer (known as football outside of America).

# Italy's national dish is pasta.

# The Italian language evolved from the Latin of the Roman Empire.

# The Italian peninsula is surrounded by five seas (the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenean, Ligurian, and Mediterranean).

# Italy has two large islands, Sicily and Sardinia , as well as a number of smaller islands.

# The Italian island of Sicily is famous for being home of the illicit Mafia criminal organization.

# Napoleon spent his first exile on the Italian island of Elba.

# The Alps mountain range form part of Italy's northern border, and for a long time, protected the peninsula from invasion.

# Italy has three active volcanoes: Vesuvius, Etna, and Stromboli.

# Naples is the largest city in southern Italy.

# Next to Rome, Milan is the second-largest city in Italy.

# Milan is home to Italian fashion and finance.

# Rome's nickname is "The Eternal City."

# Florence is home to Italian art.

# A vespa is an Italian-made motor scooter that many people ride around busy city streets on.