Italy (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja] (listen)), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica Italiana [re

ˈpubblika itaˈljaːna])[11][12] or the Republic of Italy,[13][14] is a country located in the middle of the
Mediterranean Sea, in Southern Europe;[15][16][17] its territory largely coincides with the
homonymous geographical region.[18] Italy is also considered part of Western Europe.[19][note 1] A
unitary parliamentary republic with Rome as its capital and largest city, the country covers a total
area of 301,230 km2 (116,310 sq mi) and shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria,
Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. Italy has a territorial exclave
in Switzerland, Campione. With over 60 million inhabitants,[20] Italy is the third-most populous
member state of the European Union.

Due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, Italy has
historically been home to myriad peoples and culture, such as the Italic peoples, the Etruscans, the
Celts, the Greeks and other ancient peoples.[21][22] The Latins formed the Roman Kingdom in the
8th century BC, which eventually became a republic with a government of the Senate and the
People. The Roman Republic initially conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the Italian
peninsula, eventually expanding and conquering parts of Europe, North Africa and Asia. By the first
century BC, the Roman Empire emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and
became a leading cultural, political and religious centre, inaugurating the Pax Romana, a period of
more than 200 years during which Italy's law, technology, economy, art, and literature developed.
[23][24]

During the Early Middle Ages, Italy endured the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Barbarian
Invasions, but by the 11th century, numerous city-states and maritime republics, mostly in the
North, became prosperous through trade, commerce, and banking, laying the groundwork for
modern capitalism.[25][26] The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing
a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, and art. During the Middle Ages, Italian
explorers discovered new rout