Italy is a country located in south-central Europe. Italy occupies a peninsula that juts deep into the Mediterranean Sea. Italy comprises some of the scenic landscapes and most varied on Earth. Italy is often described as a country shaped like a formal shoe. The western Alps overlook a landscape of Alpine lakes and glacier-carved valleys that stretch down to the Po River and Piedmont. To the south of the cisalpine region, Tuscany is perhaps the country’s best-known region. South of Rome the Apennines narrow and are flanked by two wide coastal plains, one facing the Tyrrhenian Sea and the other the Adriatic Sea. Italian history has been marked by episodes of temporary unification and long separation, of intercommunal strife and failed empires, across a span of more than 3,000 years. Italy’s inhabitants enjoy a high standard of living and a highly developed culture, at peace for more than half a century now. Mountain ranges higher than 702 meters occupy more than one-third of Italy. There are two mountain systems in Italy the scenic Alps, parts of which lie within the neighboring countries of Austria, France, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

The seacoasts are quite varied. Along the two Ligurian rivieras, on either side of Genoa, the coast alternates in rapid succession between high, rocky zones and level gravel. talian rivers are comparatively short; the longest, the Po, is merely 645 km long. While three major rivers flow into the Ionian Sea, in Puglia only two rivers flow to the Adriatic. talian rivers are comparatively short; the longest, the Po, is merely 645 km long. While three major rivers flow into the Ionian Sea, in Puglia only two rivers flow to the Adriatic. Italians cannot be typified by any one physical characteristic, a fact that may be explained by the past domination of parts of the peninsula by different people. The Etruscans in Tuscany and Umbria and the Greeks in the south preceded the Romans, who “Latinized” the whole country and maintained unity until the 5th century. Jews arrived in Italy during the Roman Republic, remaining into the present day. Italy suffered invasions and colonization, with the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West which inevitably affected its ethnic composition. The north was penetrated by Germanic tribes crossing the Alps, with some exceptions, while the south was colonized by Mediterranean people arriving by sea.

Emigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries played an important role in spreading the standard language; many local dialects had no written form, obliging Italians to learn Italian in order to write to their relatives. The Italian economy has progressed from being one of the weakest economies in Europe following World War II to being one of the most powerful. Its strengths are its metallurgical and engineering industries, and its weaknesses are a lack of raw materials and energy sources. More than four-fifths of Italy’s energy requirements are imported.