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= Repubblica Italiana =

=**Facts and Statistics**= 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) growing Muslim immigrant community =[|Italy - Language, Culture]= =[|Photographic Book Italy]=
 * Location:** Southern Europe, bordering Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City)
 * Capital:** Rome
 * Climate:** predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
 * Population:** 58,057,477 (July 2004 est.)
 * Ethnic Make-up:** Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north
 * Religions:** predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a
 * Government:** republic



The **flag of Italy** (//bandiera d'Italia//, often referred to in Italian as //il Tricolore//) is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical pales of green, white, and red, with the green at the hoist side. Its current form has been in use since 19 June 1946 and was formally adopted on 1 January 1948

=Geography=



Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north. =[|geography]= =[|Italy Map(google earth)]= =Italian Etiquette= Cultural achievement is Italy's greatest source of pride. Inventiveness, imagination, intelligence and education are prized. Personal relations are scrupulously maintained with loyalty highly valued, especially in families. The family is the most important affiliation in Italy.

=[|italian etiquette]= =[|Cultural Etiquette]=

=**Italian** Meal=

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= Italian Business Culture = =media type="youtube" key="VGzaD3UgPAE" height="390" width="480"=

= ITALY - History and Geography =

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The Euro (Symbol = €) is now the official Italian currency and in the 12 nations that comprise the European Union. These 12 nations are: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Notably, the United Kingdom has not adopted the Euro. They are still using the Pound. The Euro has replaced the Lira (Symbol = £) since January 1, 2002, after an implementation period which began in 1999. To aid in the transition, sometimes you will still see prices quoted in the Lira equivalent (1 Euro = 1936.27 Lira), along with the Euro price. However, it is more of a convenience, or for information purposes to assist people with the transition. The European Union also accepted the old currency up through February 28, 2002 to further assist in the transition. The new currency consists of 7 bank notes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euro (dollars). The eight coins are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 Euro cents plus a 1 Euro (dollar) and 2 Euro (dollars). The "heads" side of the coin will display a common European Community symbol. However, the "tails" side of the coin will have a design unique to each country in the union. 100 Euro Cents = 1 Euro Dollar Note that commas and periods are reversed when differentiating between dollars and cents and the thousands. For example € 3.100,50 would be expressed in the US as $ 3,100.50 intending to mean three thousand one hundred dollars and fifty cents. = [|Money Currency And Exchange] = =[|Italy: Banks & Money]=

=**Italian Gestures**=

Italians use body language and hand gestures to punctuate an expression and give it a shading that the word or phrase itself lacks. The Italian hand gestures illustrated here are some of the more common gestures that are recognized in the country. Be aware that, like dialects, certain hand signals can mean different things within different regions—and can have completely different interpretations in other cultures. Practice these gestures on your Italian friends first to be sure you've got the right movement, otherwise a potentially embarrassing situation could develop. =[|Italian Hand Gestures]=

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media type="youtube" key="M0n4Vw6twKo" height="390" width="640" == == = = =Food= Italy is famous for its food as much as for its huge artistic and historical assets and for the fashion industry. =[|food]= =Italian quizzes=

The correct use of language is extremely important for the fast and confident communication and understanding with your speaking partner in daily life. Moreover, for many professions it is a crucial instrument – think about teachers and docents, communication specialists, translators and interpreters, TV- and radio show-men, politicians, guides and many others. And the knowledge of at least one foreign language is a great advantage for you not only during vacation in another country, but also in your career development. Here you can test your level of English as native or foreign language and check your skills in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Latin and even Russian with our tests and quizzes! =[|Italian quizzes]= =Italian Stereotypes= I recently got back from Italy for work purposes. Not much touring was done, but several stereotypes were done away with. =[|Italian Stereotypes]= == =Attractions of Italy= Italy doesn't need any advertisement due to world-famous Italian attractions. This is a country where 60 per cent of attractions in Europe are concentrated. Italy is good for traveling at any season because it presents not only beautiful nature but also famous attractions of Italy. Sightseeing in Italy attracts many tourists as almost every city or town is an open-air museum containing Italian attractions, monuments of architecture or traces of ancient Roman civilization. =[|Attractions of Italy]=

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= Coliseum, Rome, Italy =

[[image:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJvsY4CnRslqBd9VT6B68xogd_hSdZ_d3zZ_u1FVteh5V7wXie7Q]]
=Tower of Piza, Piza, Italy =

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=Venice Italy =

= How To Speak Common Italian Phrases =

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= funniest Italian Cartoon = media type="youtube" key="jfILl_98sNA" height="390" width="480"

see more video of Italian =[|Travle in Italian]= = [|italian funny] =