Italy
Europe ยท Capital: Rome
How it is run: Italy is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Italy is home to 58.9 million people in Southern Europe, where people speak Italian.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
58.9 million people
That is 0.7% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
301,336 kmยฒ
Bigger than Texas โ a long road trip from one side to the other.
๐๏ธ How crowded
About 196 people per square kilometre โ busy towns with countryside in between.
๐ Size in its region
5th most people in Europe
10th largest by land in Europe.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
Italian
๐ฐ Money
Euro (โฌ)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
84 years on average
One of the healthier countries โ good hospitals and clean water make a big difference.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$43,309
An upper-middle-income country: growing cities, and more families joining the middle class.
๐ข Living in cities
69.7% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
๐ Kids under 15
11.7% of the population
An older country โ there are more grandparents than schoolchildren.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+39
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.it
๐ง People here are called
Italian
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
Italia
Also written: Italian Republic, Repubblica italiana.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Western European and Others Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
Italy touches 6 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Italia
French
Italie
Arabic
ุฅูุทุงููุง
Chinese
ๆๅคงๅฉ
Japanese
ใคใฟใชใข
Russian
ะัะฐะปะธั
Portuguese
Itรกlia
German
Italien
Put it in perspective ๐
- Russia โ the most populated country in Europe โ has about 2.4ร as many people as Italy.
- Italy covers roughly 2,870 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Italy lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 29,458 km.
Flags through time ๐
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Italy change.
Kingdom of Italy
The tricolour carried the shield of the royal House of Savoy.
Italian Republic
Italians voted to end the monarchy, so the crown left the flag.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: The capital of Italy is Rome โ that's where the country's big decisions get made.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Italian Republic
๐๏ธ Capital
Rome
๐ Region
Europe ยท Southern Europe
๐ค Country code
IT
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about Italy ๐
The Colosseum
This stone arena held about 50,000 Romans watching games almost 2,000 years ago. Trapdoors in the floor lifted animals up into the ring.
See it in Street View๐งญ Where on the map
42.8ยฐ N, 12.8ยฐ E
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+1 โ when it is noon in London it is about 13:00 in Rome.
- Italy is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly โ the same as every other member, big or small.
- ๐ฎ๐น is the flag of Italy. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is IT.
- The capital of Italy is Rome โ that's where the country's big decisions get made.
- Italy shares its part of the world with Portugal. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- Italy is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- Italy has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Italy can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Italy spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Italy?
Rome
Which money do people spend in Italy?
Euro (โฌ)
How many countries share a land border with Italy?
6 โ Austria, France, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland, Vatican City.
Roughly how many people live in Italy?
58.9 million people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.