Background information Italy

Italy is a country with more than 60.6 million inhabitants, it is one of the most populous countries in Europe. Rome is the capital of Italy and Italy is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Italy is a democratic republic and has been ranked as the world’s 24^th most developed country. After a quick growth, Italy took a long time to confront its environmental problems. After several improvements it is ranked 84^th in the world for ecological sustainability.

Italy has a parliamentary government based on a proportional voting system. The prime minister is Italy’s head of government. The prime minister and the cabinet are appointed by the president of the republic.

Italy has a free market economy characterized by high GDP per capita and low unemployment rates. Italy is one of the largest economy in the world, it is a member of the G8 and the Eurozone. Italy has less numbers of global multinational corporations than other economies of the same size, but there is a large number of small and medium sized enterprises. The Italian industry is often focused on the export of niche market and luxury products. Italy’s largest EU partners are Germany, France and Spain. Tourism is one of the largest growing sectors of the national economy with 43.6 million tourists with a total receipt of $38.8 billion.

The Italian cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political changes. Ingredients and dishes vary by region. Many dishes that were once regional are now findable in different variations across the country. Cheese and wine are major parts of the cuisine. Also coffee and more specific espresso has become very important to the cuisine of Italy.

Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html