57,380,000 (official estimate 1996).

190.4 per sq km.

Rome.

2,645,322 (1996).

Italy is situated in Europe and attached in the north to the European mainland. To the north the Alps separate Italy from France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Northern Italy: The Alpine regions, the Po Plain and the Ligurian-Etruscan Appennines. Piedmont and Val d'Aosta contain some of the highest mountains in Europe and are good areas for winter sports. Many rivers flow down from the mountains towards the Po Basin, passing through the beautiful Italian Lake District (Maggiore, Como, Garda). The Po Basin, which extends as far south as the bare slopes of the Appennines, is covered with gravel terraces and rich alluvial soil and has long been one of Italy's most prosperous regions. To the east, where the River Po flows into the Adriatic Sea, the plains are little higher than the river itself; artificial (and occasionally natural) embankments prevent flooding. Central Italy: The northern part of the Italian peninsula. Tuscany (Toscana) has a diverse landscape with snow-capped mountains (the Tuscan Appennines), lush countryside, hills and a long sandy coastline with offshore islands. Le Marche, lying between the Appennines and the Adriatic coast, is a region of mountains, rivers and small fertile plains. The even more mountainous regioni (administrative districts) of Abruzzo and Molise are bordered by Marche to the north and Puglia to the south, and are separated from the Tyrrhenian Sea and to the west by Lazio and Campania. Umbria is known as the 'green heart of Italy', hilly with broad plains, olive groves and pines. Further south lies Rome, Italy's capital and largest city. Within its precincts is the Vatican City. Southern Italy: Campania consists of flat coastal plains and low mountains, stretching from Baia Domizia to the Bay of Naples and along a rocky coast to the Calabria border. Inland, the Appennines are lower, mellowing into the rolling countryside around Sorrento. The islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida in the Tyrrhenian Sea are also part of Campania. The south is wilder than the north, with mile upon mile of olive trees, cool forests and rolling hills. Puglia, the 'heel of the boot', is a landscape of volcanic hills and isolated marshes. Calabria, the 'toe', is heavily forested and thinly populated. The Calabrian hills are home to bears and wolves. The Islands: Sicily (Sicilia), visible across a 3km (2-mile) strait from mainland Italy, is fertile but mountainous with volcanoes (including the famous landmark of Mount Etna) and lava fields, and several offshore islands. Sardinia (Sardegna) has a mountainous landscape, fine sandy beaches and rocky offshore islands. For more information on each region, see the Resorts & Excursions section below.

Republic since 1861. Head of State: President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi since 1999. Head of Government: Prime Minister Massimi d'Alema since 1998.

Italian is the official language. Dialects are spoken in different regions. German and Ladin are spoken in the South Tyrol region (bordering Austria). French is spoken in all the border areas from the Riviera to the area north of Milan (border with France and Switzerland). German is spoken around the Austrian border. English, German and French are also spoken in the biggest cities and in tourism and business circles.

Roman Catholic with Protestant minorities.

GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in September).

220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Telephone: Full IDD service. Country code: 972. Outgoing international code: 00. Local telephone directories are in Hebrew, but there is a special English-language version for tourists. Fax: This service is widely available. Telegram: Facilities are available to guests in most deluxe hotels in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and in main post offices. Post: Airmail to Europe takes up to a week. There are Poste Restante facilities in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Post office hours may vary but are generally: 0800-1230 and 1530-1830 Sunday to Thursday, 0800-1330 Wednesday and 0800-1200 Friday. All post offices are closed on Shabbat (Saturday) and holy days, although central telegraph offices are open throughout the year. Press: The main dailies are Ha'aretz, Yedioth Aharonoth and Ma'ariv. Newspapers are printed in a variety of languages, including English. Political and religious affiliations are common. The English-language daily is the Jerusalem Post, and the Jerusalem Post International Edition is published weekly and goes out to 95 countries.