什麼是義大利

義大利語作Italia

正式名稱義大利共和國（Italian Republic）

中南歐的多山國家，國土東南延伸至地中海，包括西西里和薩丁尼亞兩大島。面積301,277平方公里。人口約57,892,000（2001）。首都︰羅馬。義大利各個地區的人民多少都有些不同，尤其是南方與北方。語言：義大利語（官方語）。宗教：天主教。貨幣：歐元（euro）。義大利境內多山和高地。阿爾卑斯山脈從東到西環繞義大利北界，亞平寧山脈向南貫穿義大利全境，境內平原（或低地）約佔國土總面積近1/4；約有2/3的平原位於波河河谷。三大構造板塊造成整個義大利南部和西西里島一帶地質不穩定狀況。義大利南部四座活火山，包括維蘇威火山和埃特納火山。經濟以服務業和製造業為主。主要出口商品為機械及運輸裝置、化學品、紡織品、服裝、靴鞋和食品（橄欖油、葡萄酒和番茄）。政府形式為共和國，兩院制。國家元首是總統，政府首腦為總理。

義大利在舊石器時代即有人居住。約從西元前9世紀，伊楚利亞文化開始興起。西元前4世紀～西元前3世紀之間，羅馬人打敗伊楚利亞人（參閱Roman Republic and Empire）。西元4～5世紀蠻族入侵，西羅馬帝國終於滅亡。若干世紀以來，義大利雖然在政治上一直處於分崩離析的局面，卻於13～16世紀成為西方世界的文化中心。在西方歷史上，義大利文藝復興時期是藝術成就最偉大的時代之一。自15～18世紀義大利先後被法蘭西、神聖羅馬帝國、西班牙和奧地利統治。1796年的拿破崙入侵於1815年結束時，義大利成為一個大大小小獨立國家構成的國度。1861年復興運動將義大利的大部地區統一，包括裡和薩丁尼亞。1870年，整個義大利半島完全統一為一個國家。第一次世界大戰結束後，義大利在墨索里尼領導下，法西斯主義開始抬頭。第二次世界大戰並與納粹德國結成同盟。1943年被盟軍擊敗。1946年共和國宣佈成立。義大利為歐洲共同體和北大西洋公約組織（1949）中的主要成員國。1970年完成設立有限權力的地方議會的程式。自第二次世界大戰，義大利政府變化迅速，但保持社會穩定。與其他歐洲國家合作併成立了歐洲聯盟。

Italy

ItalianItaliaCountry, southern Europe. It comprises the boot-shaped peninsula extending into the Mediterranean Sea as well as Sicily, Sardinia, and a number of smaller islands. Area: 116,324 sq mi (301,277 sq km). Population (2000 est.): 57,723,000. Capital: Rome. Despite internal migration, there are regional variations, particularly between the north and the south. Language: Italian (official). Religion: Roman Catholicism. Monetary unit: euro. More than three-quarters of Italy is mountainous or highland country. The Alps stretch from east to west along Italy's northern boundary, and the Apennines stretch southward the length of the peninsula. Most of the country's lowlands lie in the valley of its major river, the Po. Three tectonic plates converge in southern Italy and Sicily, creating intense geologic activity; southern Italy's four active volcanoes include Mount Vesuvius and Mount Etna. The economy is based largely on services and manufacturing; exports include machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, textiles, clothing and shoes, and food products (olive oil, wine, fruit, and tomatoes). It is a republic with two legislative houses. The chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Italy has been inhabited since Paleolithic times. The Etruscan civilization arose in the 9th century BC and was overthrown by the Romans in the 4th-3rd century BC (see Roman republic and empire). Barbarian invasions of the 4th-5th century AD destroyed the western Roman empire. Italy's political fragmentation lasted for centuries but did not diminish its impact on European culture, notably during the Renaissance. From the 15th to the 18th century, Italian lands were ruled by France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and Austria. When Napoleonic rule ended in 1815, Italy was again a grouping of independent states. The Risorgimento successfully united most of Italy, including Sicily and Sardinia by 1861, and the unification of peninsular Italy was completed by 1870. Italy joined the Allies during World War I, but social unrest in the 1920s brought to power the Fascist movement of Benito Mussolini's, and Italy allied itself with Nazi Germany in World War II. Defeated by the Allies in 1943, Italy proclaimed itself a republic in 1946. It was a charter member of NATO (1949) and of the European Community. It completed the process of setting up regional legislatures with limited autonomy in 1970. Since World War II it has experienced rapid changes of government but has remained socially stable. It has worked with other European countries to establish the European Union.