Italy

A republic occupying the long boot-shaped peninsula of southern Europe, about 116,304 square miles in area, that thrusts southeastward into the central Mediterranean, and also the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Elba along with about 70 lesser islands. The enclaves San Marino and Vatican City are independent of the republic.

Italy has been united politically for little more than a century. Regional differences and loyalties are perhaps more marked there than in any other European country and there are many variations in beliefs, attitudes, customs, dialects and ways of life.

Western civilization is profoundly indebted to Italy. From this land where Etruscan city-leagues and Greek colonies once flourished, ancient Rome deployed her legions, law and culture across much of Europe and the Mediterranean world.

The city of Rome (Roma) itself became the hub of Christendom; medieval city-states such as Florence were the seedbeds of the Renaissance. However, the peninsula's history remained one of division and increasing foreign rule until 1861, when most of Italy was united under Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia.

Venezia was incorporated in 1866 and the city of Rome four years later. Italy remained a kingdom until after World War II when the Italian people voted to abolish the monarchy, which had become tainted by its close association with the Fascist dictatorship of Mussolini (1922-43). The country became a republic on June 10, 1946.

In the 1947 peace treaty Italy surrendered all claims to her former African territories. She also ceded the Dodecanese Islands to Greece and lost Fiume (now Rijeka), Zadar and most of Venezia Giulia province to Yugoslavia. The island of Sazan was handed over to Albania. Trieste, placed under UN control, was returned to Italy in 1954.

The two outstanding features of Italy's relief are the Alps, a massive arc from Liguria to Carnia, and the Apennines, peninsular Italy's backbone ranging from Liguria to Calabria.

Both mountain systems, which merge behind Savona without an obvious break, belong to the young fold-mountain (Alpine) system of Europe, dating from the Tertiary period (70 million to 4 million years ago). Since that time their bulk has been drastically reduced by erosion and they have undergone vertical movements including periods of submergence when newer sediments, now widely exposed, were deposited on their flanks.

These movements were accompanied by severe faulting and by volcanic eruptions. Earthquakes still occur occasionally; while Vesuvius (Vesuvio), Etna and the Lipari (Eolie) Islands are among the most active volcanic areas in Europe. The Lipari Islands include Stromboli whose active volcano (3,031 feet) glowing fiery red at night was known in classical times as "the lighthouse of the Mediterranean", and the island of Vulcano whose derivation is closely linked with that of the word "volcano".

institutions. Bologna has the oldest university; it dates from the 11th century. The illiteracy rate, about 7%, relates mainly to the older generation, especially south of Naples and in Sicily and Sardinia.

Italy is a Roman Catholic country. It also has the largest Communist party in Western Europe- one, however, known for its relatively moderate "Eurocommunist" policies.

Many Italian Communists manage to be devout Catholics.

The influence of the Church is far reaching; although it encompasses all shades of opinion from extreme left to extreme right it has at times faced Italians with grave problems of conscience, such as divorce and contraception.