Italy is a European country surrounded by France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Vatican City and San Marino. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Italy.
Italy is officially known as the Italian Republic.
Italy is shaped like a boot.
An average Italian eats half a pound of bread per day. They also drink about 26 gallons of wine a year.
Italy is home to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was built on unstable soil which makes it lean.
Italy has the lowest birthrate of any European country.
Italians drive on the right hand side of the road.
Italy spent $US33.1 billion on the military in 2008.
87.8% of Italians identify themselves as Roman Catholic. However, only about 37% are active members of the church.
Italy is the fifth most popular tourist destination in the world.
The most popular sport in Italy is soccer (football). The national team won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Cricket is slowly gaining in popularity in Italy. They are currently ranked 27th in the world.
Over 600,000 Romanian immigrants live in Italy.
Opera was created in Italy.
Italy holds the record for the country with the most elevators (lifts).
The official currency is the euro. Before 2002, it was the Italian lira.
Rome is the capital, and largest, city in Italy.
Italy is a beautiful place i hope to go there when i get out of high school .