Diving

DIVING ITALY INTRODUCTION

COUNTRY INFORMATION


Official name

Italian Republic


Capital

Rome


Coordinates

42°50’ N, 12°50’ E


Location

Italy is located in Southern Europe on the Apennine Peninsula and shares borders with Slovenia on the northeast, Austria and Switzerland on the north and France on the northwest.


Area

Total area: 301 230 sq km
Land area: 294 020 sq km
Water area: 7 210 sq km


Land boundaries

1 899 km


Coastline

7 600 km


Administrative division

Italy is divided into 15 regions and 5 autonomous regions.


Political system

Italy is parliamentary, democratic republic. President is the chief of state and is elected by an electoral college for a seven-year term. President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) is the head of government and is appointed by the president. Italian parliament consists of the Chamber of Deputies (630 members) and the Senate of the Republic (315 members). Members of the parliament are elected for a five-year term.


Population

58 145 320


Ethnic groups

Italian 93%, Sardinian 3%, other (French, German, Slovenian, Albanian) 4%


Religions

Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%