Italy,[a] officially the Italian Republic,[b] is a country in Southern[14] and

Western[15][c] Europe. It is located on a peninsula that extends into the middle of

the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land border, as well as
several islands, notably Sicily and Sardinia.[16] Italy shares its borders with
France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and two enclaves: Vatican City and San
Marino. Its territory also includes Campione (an exclave surrounded by Switzerland)
and the Pelagie Islands (an archipelago in the African Plate). It is the tenth-
largest country by land area in the European continent, covering an area of 301,340
km2 (116,350 sq mi),[3] and the third-most populous member state of the European
Union, with a population of nearly 60 million.[17] Its capital and largest city is
Rome.

In antiquity, the Italian peninsula was home to numerous peoples; the Latin city of
Rome in central Italy, founded as a Kingdom, became a Republic that conquered the
Mediterranean world and ruled it for centuries as an Empire.[18][19][20] With the
spread of Christianity, Rome became the seat of the Catholic Church and of the
Papacy. During the Early Middle Ages, Italy experienced the fall of the Western
Roman Empire and inward migration from Germanic tribes. By the 11th century,
Italian city-states and maritime republics expanded, bringing renewed prosperity
through commerce and laying the groundwork for modern capitalism.[21][22] The
Italian Renaissance flourished in Florence during the 15th and 16th centuries and
spread to the rest of Europe. Italian explorers also discovered new routes to the
Far East and the New World, leading the European Age of Discovery. However,
centuries of rivalry and infighting between the Italian city-states among other
factors left the peninsula divided into numerous states until the late modern
period.[23][24] During the 17th and 18th centuries, Italian economic and commercial
importance waned significantly.[25]

After centuries of political and territorial divisions, Italy was almost entirely
unified in 1861, following wars of independence and the Expedition of the Thousand,
establishing the Kingdom of Italy.[26] From the late 19th to the early 20th
century, Italy rapidly industrialized, mainly in the north, and acquired a colonial
empire,[27] while the south remained largely impoverished and excluded from
industrialization, fueling a large immigrant diaspora to the Americas.[28] From
1915 to 1918, Italy took part in World War I on the side of the Entente against the
Central Powers. In 1922, following a period of crisis and turmoil, the Italian
fascist dictatorship was established. During World War II, Italy was first part of
the Axis until its surrender to the Allied powers (1940–1943) and then, as parts of
its territory were occupied by Nazi Germany with fascist collaboration, a co-
belligerent of the Allies during the Italian resistance and the liberation of Italy
(1943–1945). Following the end of the war, the monarchy was replaced by a republic,
via a referendum; and the country enjoyed a strong recovery, which resulted in
prolonged prosperity that is often termed "the economic miracle".[29]

Italy has the eighth-largest nominal GDP in the world, the second-largest
manufacturing industry in Europe (7th-largest in the world),[30] and a significant
role in regional[31][32] and global[33][34] economic, military, cultural, and
diplomatic affairs. Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union,
and it is in numerous international institutions, including NATO, the G7, the
Mediterranean Union, and the Latin Union. As a cultural superpower, Italy has long
been a renowned centre of art, music, literature, cuisine, fashion, science and
technology, and the source of multiple inventions and discoveries.[35] It has the
world's largest number of World Heritage Sites (59), and is the world's fifth-most
visited country.