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Italy (in Italian, Italia), republic in
southern Europe, bordered on the north by Switzerland and
Austria; on the east by Slovenia and the Adriatic Sea; on
the south by the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea; on
the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ligurian Sea, and the
Mediterranean Sea; and on the north-west by France. It comprises,
in addition to the Italian mainland, the islands of Sardinia
and Sicily, in the Mediterranean Sea; Elba in the Tyrrhenian
Sea; and many lesser islands. Enclaves within mainland Italy
are the independent countries of San Marino and Vatican City;
the latter is a papal state mostly enclosed by Rome, the capital
of Italy. The area of Italy is 301,323 sq km (116,341 sq mi).
Population - 57,268,578
Languages - Italian
Religions - 80% Roman Catholicism, 20% Other
Italy is in the Central European Time Zone. Central European
Standard Time (CET) is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT+1).
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