Italy by Asia Jones

Religion

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In 1998, the overwhelming majority (85%) of native-born Italian citizens professed the Roman Catholic faith. Roman Catholicism, affirmed as the state religion under the Lateran Treaty of 1929, lost that distinction under a concordat with the Vatican ratified in 1985. However, the Catholic Church continues to hold a privileged status with the state. Jehovah's Witnesses form the second-largest denomination among native-born Italian citizens, with about 400,000 adherents. However, if immigrants are counted, the second-largest religion is Islam, with an estimated one million followers. About 100,000 people are Scientologists, 60,000 are Buddhists, 30,000 are Waldensians (a Calvinist sect), 30,000 are Jewish, and 20,000 are Mormons. The Orthodox and Protestant Churches have small communities. Hinduism is also represented.

Population

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Climate

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Italy's climate varies with elevation and region, in the Alps there are cold winters, and rainy springs while in in the Medditerranean there are cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.

Fun Facts

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Interesting Facts

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Major Cities

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Major Cities of Italy include:

Rome

Milan

Naples

Genoa

Trieste

Currency

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The Euro

Food

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Languages

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Italian, the official language, is spoken by the vast majority of people. While each region has its own dialect, Tuscan, the dialect of Tuscany, is the standard dialect for Italian. French is spoken in parts of Piedmonte and in Valle d'Aosta, where it is the second official language; Slovene is spoken in the Trieste-Gorizia area. German is widely used in Bolzano Province, or South Tyrol (part of the Trentino-Alto Adige region), which was ceded by Austria in 1919; under agreements reached between Italy and Austria in 1946 and 1969, the latter oversees the treatment of these German-speakers, who continue to call for greater linguistic and cultural autonomy.