General

Political system Italy
Republic since 1946. Constitution of 1948. Two-chamber Parliament: Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) with 630 members and Senate (Senato della Repubblica) with 315 members. Election of the head of state every 7 years by an electoral college of. National Unity since 1861. Italy is an EU member.

Form of government the Vatican State
Sovereign diocese since 1929. Apostolic Constitution of 2001. The government of the universal Church is made of the Roman Curia, which is (responsible executive of the Pope, and General Affairs) to the Secretary of State, 9 Congregations (Ministries, responsible for example for the Doctrine of the Faith), 11 Pontifical Councils, offices, 3 Courts (Supreme Apellationsinstanz, responsible eg for marriage annulments) and institutions like the College of Cardinals (election and advise the pope) can be subdivided. Voting age to 80 years.
Geography Italy
Italy is divided into the Italian Alps, the northern Italian plains, the actual Apennine peninsula and numerous islands. Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, Ischia and Capri are probably the best known. The located in Northern Italy Alps form a natural border with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. In the south, southwest and southeast of the country is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. The Apennines, which reach a height of 2910 m run through the entire peninsula.

Northern Italy comprises the Alps, the fertile, densely populated Po Plain and the Ligurian-Etruscan part of the Apennines. In the Piedmont and Val d'Aosta contain some of the highest mountains and most beautiful ski resorts in Europe. Many rivers flow down from the mountains towards the Po Basin, passing through the Italian lakes (Lago Maggiore, Lago di Como and Lago di Garda, the most famous being). The Po Plain consists mostly of fertile alluvial soil. The Po, Italy's biggest power flows to the east into the Adriatic.

Central Italy is located in the northern part of the Italian peninsula. The Tuscan countryside is very varied, snow-capped mountains (the Tuscan Apennines), lush countryside, hills, sandy beaches and numerous islands near the coast waiting for the visitor. The region of Le Marche, lying between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea is a region of mountains, rivers and small fertile plains. The mountainous Regioni (administrative districts) of Abruzzo bordering Marche to the north, which borders the south of Abruzzo and Molise and Puglia in the south. Lazio and Campania lie on the Tyrrhenian Sea and to the western border. Umbria, the "green heart of Italy", consists of hills and plains.

Ranges from southern Italy Baia Domizia to the Gulf of Naples and stretches along the rocky coast to the Calabria border. In Campania there are low hills with flat coastal regions. The southern Apennines are lower than the north, the Apennines Neapolitano go slowly in the gentle hills of the area of ​​Sorrento. The islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida in the Tyrrhenian Sea are also part of Campania. In Apulia landscape of volcanic hills and isolated marshes landscape. In southern Italy, there are active volcanoes, Vesuvius, east of Naples, is one of the largest volcanoes in Europe. Calabria, the 'toe', is densely wooded and sparsely populated.

Language Vatican
The official languages ​​are Italian and Latin.

Geography Vatican
The Vatican City is within the city of Rome, extends over a hill west of the Tiber River and is separated by a wall from the rest of the city. It consists of St. Peter, St. Peter's Square, the Vatican and the Vatican Gardens and the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo.

Vatican area
0.44 sq. km.

Head of state Vatican
Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI., Since April 2005. Pope Benedict XVI. also serves as bishop of Rome.

Language Italy
The official language is Italian. Alto Adige is officially bilingual, it is mainly German speaking. Ladin is partly language school in Trentino. In the border areas with France and Switzerland from the Italian Riviera to the area north of Milan speak French, Slovenian, Trieste and Gorizia. In Sardinia we speak Catalan in some areas. Resort areas and major cities is partly spoken English, German or French.

Religion Italy
90% Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim minorities.

Mains voltage
125 V or 220 V, 50 Hz

Kilmasiagramm Rome