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Italy Facts
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Interesting Italy Facts for Kids
Here are some interesting Italy Facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.
• Population: 61 million people live in Italy (2011)
• Capital: Roma (Rome), which is often called "Eternal City", with 3.57 mio inhabitants and Italy’s biggest city.
• Name: Repubblica Italiana (Italian Republic), Nickname: "Bel Paese" which means beautiful country
• Government: Democracy, Republic
• Language: Italian as well as German, French and Ladin in some regions in Northern Italy.
• Literacy: More than 98% can read and write.
• Religion: mainly Christians (Roman Catholics 90%)
• Currency: 1 Euro=100 cents, before 2001 Italian Lira
• History: The country has a long history, as Rome its capital city today was founded in 753BC. After the Roman Empire broke down in 395AD, there were many separate kingdoms and city states. However, Italy became one nation only in 1861 and since then includes the islands of Sicily and Sardegna. It was a kingdom until 1946 after the second World War, where Italy sided with the German Nazis. Italy is founding member of the European Union (EU) and the NATO.
• Flag: The colors represent these virtues: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red).
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Where is Italy? - Italy Map
• Italy lies in Southern Europe, a flight to Rome take roughly 2.5 hours from London/England, 8 hours from New York/USA
Italy is easy to recognize on any world map, as the country is shaped like a high-heeled boot, as you can see on the map above. It looks like the boot is kicking a ball, which is the island of Sicily, don’t you think?
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Italy Facts: Geography
In the North, the mountain range of the Alps separates Italy from the other European countries France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.
The...