Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica Italiana; English: The Republic of Italy), short for Italy (Italian: Italia; Italy is a European country, mainly composed of the Apennine Peninsula in southern Europe and two islands in the Mediterranean Sea Sicily and Sardinia. It covers an area of 301,333 square kilometers with a population of 60.24 million [1].
The Alps region to the north borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia, and its territory encompasses two micro-states, SAN Marino and the Vatican. [2] There are signs of human activity in the prehistory of the Italian Peninsula, dating back to the early Paleolithic Age. In the 9th century BC the Etruscans created a splendid civilization.
Rome was founded in 754 BC. Ancient Rome went through three stages: kingship (753 B.C. -- 509 B.C.), republic (509 B.C. -- 27 B.C.) and empire (27 B.C. -- 476 B.C.), which lasted for a thousand years. In the 15th century, Italy became the birthplace of the European Renaissance. In the late 15th century, the struggle between France and Spain for the Apennine Peninsula intensified, leading to the Italian War, which lasted for decades. Nationalism began to awaken in the 18th century. In the 19th century, the unification movement of Italy arose, and the Kingdom of Sardinia began to gradually unify the north and south. In 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was established, and in 1870, Rome, the capital of the Papal States, was conquered to complete the unification of Italy.
After defeat in World War II, the monarchy was abolished and a republic was established. Italy is a developed capitalist country, one of the four major economies in Europe, a founding member of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as well as a member of Schengen Agreement, the Group of Eight and the United Nations and other important international organizations. Italy has a total of 55 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and ranks with China as the country with the most world heritage sites in the world. Italy is also a world leader in the fields of art and fashion. Milan is the economic and industrial center of Italy and the fashion capital of the world
