GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ITALY
Italy (officially the Italian Republic) has a surface area of 301,340 km2 and a population of approximately 60 million. Italy is the third-most populous country in the European Union. The country has land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia in the Alps region in the north. Sicily and Sardinia, the two largest islands of the Mediterranean, are also Italian territories.
Vatican City and San Marino, two independent European countries, are also enclave countries (completely surrounded by another country) stuck within the territory of Italy. Italy also has two exclaves surrounded by land and sea borders, one by Switzerland (Campione) and the other by Tunisia (Lampedusa).
Italy ranks 20th in the nominal gross domestic product per capita ranking of countries, 20th in the human development index, and 8th in the quality of life index.
Italy has been the source of many inventions and discoveries throughout history; It has become a global center of art, music, literature, philosophy, science, technology and fashion. It has deeply affected the fields of cinema, cuisine, sports, law, banking and commerce. As a reflection of its cultural richness, it is the country with the most World Heritage Sites, with 55. It also ranks 5th among the most visited countries.
Its capital and largest city, Rome, has been the center of Western civilization for centuries, witnessed the birth of the baroque style in architecture, and has been the center of the Catholic Church since ancient times.
ETYMOLOGY
The name Italy was previously used only to describe a region in the south of today’s Italy. Over time, the name Italy gained a wide usage area, including surrounding regions. It was only after the Romans took over the region that the name was used to describe the entire peninsula.
BRIEF HISTORY OF ITALY
Following the ancient communities spread over the territory of today’s Italy, the most important of which were the Italics of Indo-European origin and who gave their name to the country, the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, starting from Classical Antiquity, established colonies in Sicily and Sardinia; The Greeks, on the other hand, established settlements in the region they called Magna Graecia in Southern Italy. Etruscans and Celts also made their home in Central and Northern Italy.
The Latins, an Italic tribe, founded the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC, which later turned into a republic governed by the Roman Senate and People. The Roman Republic soon conquered its neighbors on the Italian Peninsula, followed by conquests in Europe, North Africa and Asia. By the 1st century BC, the Roman Empire had become the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and the leading cultural, political and religious center of the region. Thus began the Pax Romana period, in which law, technology, economy, art and literature flourished in Italy for more than 200 years.
The history of Italy experienced its first golden age during the Ancient Roman period. The Roman Empire, which existed for approximately 12 centuries, transformed from a monarchy into a democracy combined with oligarchy and republic, and then into an autocratic empire.
The Roman Empire, which dominated Western Europe and the region surrounding the Mediterranean through conquest and assimilation, declined over time and was divided into Western Rome and Eastern Rome in 395. Italy became part of the Western Roman Empire. The Western Roman Empire broke up into independent kingdoms in the 5th century. The end of the Western Empire in 476 is considered the date of the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Middle Ages. On the other hand, the eastern empire, ruled from Istanbul, continued its existence until 1453.
The Catholic church in Italy emerged during the Byzantine rule. By filling the authority gap in Italy, it became an effective institution not only in terms of religion but also politically over time.
The Pope defeated the Lombards who went south in 751, with help from the Franks, and brought Central Italy under Papal rule. Thus, an independent Papal State was established around the city of Rome. (You may see the Papal State on the map in yellow)
In 774, the Franks completely ended the rule of the Lombards in Italy and annexed Italy to themselves. Charlemagne, the king of the Franks, was crowned by the Pope in 800 and declared himself the new Roman Emperor. During the period until Charlemagne’s death in 814, the territories of today’s Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland were united under the flag of the Carolingian Empire.
In 843, the Carolingian Empire divided into three parts, and Northern Italy remained in the hands of the Middle Frankish Kingdom among these three kingdoms. In the same years, Southern Italy was also the target of invasions by Muslim Arabs. In 827, Sicily fell to the Arabs and the Emirate of Sicily was established. The Emirate of Bari was established in Southern Italy.
The Normans first captured Southern Italy and then all of Sicily from Muslim rulers in 1091 and established the Norman Kingdom in Sicily. The island of Sicily fell into the hands of Christians again.
By the 11th century, many city-states and maritime republics had been established in Northern and Central Italy. These are the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa, the Republic of Florence, the Republic of Siena. These states, which gained wealth through trade and banking, were early examples of modern capitalism and functioned as European-Asian trade centers. In addition, since they were not dependent on a central government, they had much more democratic governments than the large feudal monarchies in Europe. Southern Italy continued to remain feudal until the 19th century due to Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Anjou and Aragonese conquests.
Many Italian citizens of these states went to the Middle East by participating in the Crusades that started in 1095. Trade and cultural exchange (also called invasion and plunder) with the Islamic civilization made great contributions to Italian culture. It paved the way for the Italian Renaissance, which began in the 15th century.
The Renaissance movement originated in the Tuscany region of Italy and spread throughout Europe. During this period, a new interest in humanism, science, exploration and art emerged. Italian culture was revived, famous scientists and artists were raised. In the Middle Ages, Italian explorers discovered routes to the Far East and the New World. These discoveries led to the beginning of Geographical Exploration in Europe. Despite all this, Italy’s commercial and political power decreased significantly with the opening of trade routes bypassing the Mediterranean. Centuries of foreign interventions, conquests, and ongoing competition among city-states have led to the continuation of the country’s politically fragmented structure.
In the first years of the 19th century, Italy was occupied by Napoleon I and came under French influence. The Congress of Vienna envisaged the return of Italy to the dynasties that had ruled before the French invasion. Thus, the Papal State, the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piemonte, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Modena, and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venice were re-established. However, secret societies called Carbonari began to work for the unification of Italy. Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi were among the pioneers of the unification movement. Also, King of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel II was among those who supported this unification movement. Of course he supported them because they became the first kings of unified Italy.
Rising Italian nationalism and calls for independence in the mid-19th century initiated a period of revolution. After centuries of foreign domination and division, the Italian states were united in 1861 and the Kingdom of Italy was established. Rome in 1870 and Venice in 1886 were included in the Italian union. As a result of their participation, the Italian National Union was completed. Italy became a single country for the first time after the Roman period.
From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Italy, especially the north, industrialized rapidly and acquired colonies around the world. However, Southern Italy was excluded from this industrialization and remained poor. This situation paved the way for the formation of the worldwide Italian diaspora.
Despite being one of the four main Allied powers at the end of World War I, Italy experienced a period of economic crisis and turmoil. Between 1922 and 1943, Italy turned to fascism under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Great economic successes were achieved during the Mussolini period. Italy participated in the Second World War on the side of the Axis Powers; He faced defeat, economic ruin, and the Italian Civil War.
Following the liberation of the country from German occupation and the strengthening of the Italian resistance movement, the monarchy was abolished. On January 1, 1948, a new constitution was approved, and a republic was declared.
Today, Italy is a unitary republic governed by parliamentary democracy. Italy has an important role in regional and global economic, military, cultural, and diplomatic relations.
REGIONS OF ITALY
Italy is divided into 20 regions (plural: regioni, singular regione). Five of them have autonomous status, which allows them to implement laws to solve local problems. Additionally, the country is divided into a total of 96 provinces and 8,047 districts and towns (municipalities/comunicipalities).