PEOPLE
Italy is largely homogeneous
linguistically and religiously but is diverse culturally, economically,
and politically. Italy has the fifth-highest population density
in Europe--about 200 persons per square kilometer (490 per sq.
mi.). Minority groups are small, the largest being the German-speaking
people of Bolzano Province and the Slovenes around Trieste. Other
groups comprise small communities of Albanian, Greek, Ladino,
and French origin. Immigration has increased in recent years,
however, while the Italian population is declining overall due
to low birth rates. Although Roman Catholicism is the majority
religion--85% of native-born citizens are nominally Catholic--all
religious faiths are provided equal freedom before the law by
the constitution.
Greeks settled in the southern
tip of the Italian Peninsula in the eighth and seventh centuries
B.C.; Etruscans, Romans, and others inhabited the central and
northern mainland. The peninsula subsequently was unified under
the Roman Republic. The neighboring islands also came under Roman
control by the third century B.C.; by the first century A.D.,
the Roman Empire effectively dominated the Mediterranean world.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West in the fifth
century A.D., the peninsula and islands were subjected to a series
of invasions, and political unity was lost. Italy became an oft-changing
succession of small states, principalities, and kingdoms, which
fought among themselves and were subject to ambitions of foreign
powers. Popes of Rome ruled central Italy; rivalries between the
popes and the Holy Roman Emperors, who claimed Italy as their
domain, often made the peninsula a battleground.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Italian(s).
Population (2007 est.): 57.8 million.
Annual growth rate (2007 est.): 0.01%.
Ethnic groups: Primarily Italian, but there are small groups of German-, French-, Slovene-, and Albanian-Italians.
Religion: Roman Catholic (majority).
Language: Italian (official).
Education: Years compulsory--18. Literacy--98%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--5.76/1,000 live births. Life expectancy--76.08 years for men; 83.0 years for women.
Work force (24.63 million, 2006 est.): Services--63%; industry and commerce--32%; agriculture--5%. Unemployment rate is 7%.
