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Hi, my name is Leonardo, and I am from Italy.

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My country, Italy, is known for many things including beautiful coasts, hills, architecture, and culture. I think Italy has left a lasting impression on Western and European culture.

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Italy's coordinates are 41.8719° N, 12.5674° E. It is in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres. It is located along the Mediterranean Sea. This influences its food and geography a lot. Italy is also a peninsula in Southern Europe. It shares borders with (and is in between) France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia.

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Most agree that Italy is in stage 4 of the DTM. This means Italy's population growth has stabilized and the population is slowly aging. However, in recent years, some have been saying that it is in stage 5 because the population is very slowly decreasing (0.1 rate of natural decrease).

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Italy is on the more developed side. Their population is aging as the pyramid shows. Also the male population is slightly less due to wars.

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Lots of people visit Italy all the time. Some people decide they want to stay because of how unique the country is. The geography, culture, foods, nature. It is also an easy target for immigrants from less developed countries because of its key location on the Mediterranean Sea.
Lots of people also leave Italy though. Parts of Italy are very poor and are not able to support agriculture due to unfertile soil.

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Many elements of Italian culture have spread around the world and become popular. When I travel to other countries, sometimes I see things from our culture, such as arts, architecture, food & wine, etc.
Some of our folk cultures include things like music, foods, historical sites, etc. Much of our culture has diffused, however there are lots of regional differences in culture and lots of unique culture throughout our country.

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Italian is in the Romance language family. This family includes other languages like Spanish, Romanian, Portuguese, and French.

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The dominant religion in Italy has been the Roman Catholicism for 1500 years. 74% of the population practice this religion. It's headquarters are in the Vatican City, an autonomous region. Though the government is secular, Catholicism has a special part in its constitution. 9.3% of people who are not Catholic are part of other Christian groups.

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95% of Italy's population is Italians. 5% is immigrants, other Europeans and Africans. In the past, Rome grew to be the Roman Empire which encompassed much of Europe and was one of the most powerful empires. Italy did not have many colonies.

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The shape of Italy is elongated because it is a peninsula that is thin and long, and juts out in to the Mediterranean. It is also a Perforated state because it surrounds two states/autonomous regions that are within it.

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Italy was on the side of the Allies in WW1 but joined the war on the side of Germany in WW2. Italy was also an authoritarian government in the early 20th century. It later transitioned to a democracy but had issues with corruption in the 90s. It also has a history of protests, etc.

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Though Italy's boundaries have changed , the hearth (the peninsula) has stayed the same. As the Roman Empire grew, its boundaries expanded in to Europe. However, it shrunk back to the original piece over time.

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There is lots of political uncertainty in Italy. The government is under scrutiny due to economic issues and high levels of employment.

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The government of Italy is a democracy meaning the people have a say in government. However, Italy is more of a unitary government, so the central government is more powerful than local ones.

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Some popular and iconic foods of Italy include Risotto, Pizza, Pasta, Gnocchi, Pesto alla Genovese, Lasagne, Gelato, Prosciutto di Parma, Tortelli and Ravioli, etc.
Traditionally, Italian food is all about fresh vegetables, pastas, breads, and cheeses. Traditional foods in Italy include Neapolitan pizza, risotto, lasagna, ravioli, caprese, Traditoonal desserts in Italy are include tiramisu, gelato, panna cotta, and biscotti. They also like to drink wine with dinner and a coffee after dessert.

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The northern part of Italy specializes in producing grains, meats, dairy, etc. The southern part, being closer to the Mediterranean Sea, practices more Mediterranean agriculture. This includes fruits, vegetables, olive oil, wine, etc. Most farms are small. Types of agriculture include, mixed crop and livestock, dairy farming, grain farming, livestock farming, Mediterranean agriculture, etc.

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Italy has a very Mediterranean climate. This means it has dry, hot summers, but mild, maybe rainy winters. However, there are some regional differences in climate due to Italy being so long.

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Italy doesn't have any megacities. However, Rome is considered a world city due to how important it is culturally to the world. It influences the world with its culture - food, architecture, religion, etc.

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One multinational corp. is Ferrero. This is a chocolate manufacturer. They make products that are eaten around the world, like Nutella and Ferrero Rocher.

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The main sustainability issue in Italy is pollution. There is lots of air pollution in cities and also lots of water pollution in certain cities. Italy also has insufficient waste treatment and disposal systems.

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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With 63.5 out of 100 points, Italy is 14th in the EU based on the Gender Equality Index. Italy doesn't score bad, but there is a decent amount of inequality. There are a lot of unemployed women and few women in government.

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The Human Development Index of a country shows its development by looking at social factors (education, income, life expectancy). Italy scores 0.892 and is 29th out of 189 countries. This is well above average (0.724). This means that people in Italy have a decent, if not great, standard of living.

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In Italy, 3.89% of the population is in primary sector (agriculture), 25.87% in industry, 70.24% in service. This is another indicator that Italy is quite developed. It has long passed the industrial revolution and its primary sector is small due to advanced technology. Its population has shifted to manufacturing, then service jobs.

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The most popular industries in Italy include tourism, precision machinery, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electrical goods, textiles, fashion, clothing and footwear. This includes mainly tourism, general machines, and general clothing.

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Italy has lots of environmental challenges. The main issues are water pollution, air pollution, waste management.

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Italy is mostly seen as a core country due to the level of development there and the standard of living. However, some may see Italy as a semi-periphery country because some countries may import from Italy and maybe take advantage of them.

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Tourism is one of the biggest industries in Italy. There's an obvious reason why! Italy has one of the most unique architectures in the world. It has elements of culture from sequent occupancy with the Roman Empire. It has very unique architecture and tourist attractions in cities like Rome and Venice. The architecture is like art and so is the food. Its food is very unique and is famous around the world. It is the pinnacle of luxury. There are aspects of Italy that make it great too, such as the nature there. For example, the beaches are very famous.

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Though Italy is a great country to visit, it may not be a great place to live. Italy has some political instability at times. However, the more prominent issue in Italy is economic problems such as high debt and unemployment.