Italy Country Name:Italy Population 60.1 million Language:Italian Currency:Euro Italy Life Expectancy:M:77 years F:83 years Religion:Roman Catholic, and Christian D.E:Italian

Italy Religion Italy is united linguistically and religiously although it is diverse culturally. The main religion in Italy today is Roman Catholicism, but a very long time ago, the Ancient Romans believed in many gods and goddesses. Stories and myths were told about the gods and goddesses. According to the Romans, each and every god and goddess had a certain thing or group of people to watch over. As time went on, more and more people became Christians. In the 4th century A.D. Emperor Constantine decided to make Christianity the official religion of Italy.

Italy Flag The Italy Flag was officially adopted on January 21, 1919.The national flag of Italy is a tricolor flag which features three equally sized vertical stripes of green, white and red color. The green stripe is located at the hoist side of the Italian Flag . The green color of the flag of Italy stands for the plains and the hills of Italy. The white color of the Italy flag picture stands for the snowy Alps, and red for the blood split in the Italian Independence wars. There is also a religious interpretation of these colors in the flags of Italy, to which green represents hope, white represents faith and red represents charity.

Italy Economy The Gross Domestic Product or GDP of the country reaching 1.273 trillion US dollars has made the Economy in Italy , the sixth richest in the world. Both the public and the private sectors in Italy derive foreign financial aids from United States that helps in the betterment of the Economy in Italy. Merging itself with the western economic markets, the Economy in Italy gained considerable profitability The firm export-related industries of Italy had boosted up the Economy in Italy to a large extent The escalation of exports in Italy established a strong domestic demand for goods and services Most of the small and medium enterprises and companies in Italy flourished and prospered as a result of the increased economic activities in Italy Italian Economy is developing very fast. Today the condition is such that it is self-sufficient enough to cope up with the global race of economic and financial developments.

Italy Geographic Landmarks Italy is a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. Its most prominent feature is its boot-like shape kicking the island of Sicily. Much of Italy is covered by mountains. The Dolomite mountains which extend across northern Italy are part of the Alps mountain range. The Apennine mountains cut down the center of Italy, stretching from north to south, dividing the east and west coast. The Po Valley, just south of the Dolomite mountains, is the basin of the Po River. It is fertile farm land. Italy includes two large islands: Sicily and Sardinia. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, with active volcanoes and earthquakes. Sardinia is basically mountains rising out of the ocean. Italy also has two independent countries within its borders. Vatican City is the center for the Roman Catholic Church, and is the world's smallest country. San Marino, on the north east co republic.

Italy Political Leaders President:The president of Italy was elected to a seven-year term by both of the houses of Parliament. In Italy the president must be at least 50 years old. They show the prime minister, who forms the government. The president has the power to get ride of Parliament and call a new election. The president is the commander of the Italians. Italy doesn’t have a vice president. If the president of Italy is sick, the president of the Italian Senate takes over the job. If the president dies, a presidential election is held. Prime Minister and Cabinet: The prime minister decides a national policy and is the most important person in the Italian government. The prime minister is picked by the president, but can be voted out of office any time. Members of the cabinet are picked by the prime minister, and usually come from the members of Parliament. The president then appoints the members to the cabinet, and they are approved by Parliament. The Italian prime minister and the cabinet are officially called the government. Parliament:The Chamber of Deputies and Senate are the Parliament. The Chamber of Deputies has 630 members who are elected by voters from 27 voting districts. The Senate has 315 members who are elected by voters, from 20 units called regions, and members picked by the President for life. Plus, former Presidents are life members. The Chamber and Senate both share equal power to pass laws. Members of each serve 5-year terms.

Italy's Prime Minister and President