Surface:The total land area of Italy is 301,230 sq km.

Population:  The population of Italy is around 58,147,740 (July 2007 est.) with mainly Italians

System of government: Italy has a republic government.

Capital: With a population of about 2,551,000 inhabitants, Rome is the capital of Italy

Religion: Roman Catholics comprise 90%25 of the population; the remaining 10%25 are Protestants and Jews.

Official Language: Italian is the official language of Italy

Government: Italy has a republic government.

Climate: The climate of Italy is primarily Mediterranean; Alpine in the north while hot, dry in the south.

Units of measure and electricity: Italy follows the metric system and 230V, 50Hz is the basic unit of electricity.

Time Zone: The Italian Standard time is GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 in summers)

Currency: Euro (1 € = 1.35 USD)

Travel documents required: To travel to Italy, one requires a visa as well as a ‘Permesso di Soggiorno’, which is a permission to stay from the nearest Police Commissary within eight days of arriving.