Location

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Capital

Rome

Population

58,133,509

Area

Land: 294,020 sq km
Water: 7,210 sq km
Total: 301,230 sq km

Coastline

7,600 km

Language

Italian (official), German and French

Government Type

Republic

Religion

Approximately 90% Roman Catholic

Climate

Predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south