Italy
Land area: Total 301,230 sq km
Population: 58 million (July 2009 est.)
Labour force: 25.09 million (2008 est.)
Occupations: Agriculture: 4.2% industry: 0.7% services: 65.1%
Languages: 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)
Capital: Rome
Head of Government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI
National holiday: Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
Economy: Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with high unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises.
Imports: £9,218 million (2008) from the UK
Industries: Tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics.
Inflation: 3.6% (2008 est.)
Did you know... Italy is home to two micro states, San Marino and Vatican City.
In Italy, espresso is considered so essential to daily life that the price is regulated by the government.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa began sinking before it was even finished! It continues to lean to the south a tiny bit more each year.
