Background : Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC).

Capital : Rome

Climate : predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Currency : euro (EUR)

Terrain : mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Natural Resources : coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land

Population : 58,103,033 (July 2005 est.)

Languages : Italian (official), German, French and Slovene

Industries : tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Government type : republic