Italy

Italy is a large region of southern Europe located on a very large penisula south of the mainland. Italy has traditionally been the home of the Roman Empire of whom first rose to prominense on the land during the rise of the Empire of Numeron, and it was the one region that didn't fall to the Numenorians.

Italy is the foundation of the Italiens and stands as the centerpiece of the Italien people, and their culture. The Italiens are devided onto the land with the mainland and parts of the southern peninsula with the mainstream Italiens, but the island of Sicily is dominated by Sicilians, the island of Corisca, and Sardinia are dominated by the Corsians, and the Maltese are dominent on the island of Malta. The Italiens are one of the most numerous of the followers of Christianity and in this way they have become the bedrock of Roman Catholism which is the western sub-sect of the overal christian relgion. In this way the Romans control part of the Christian heirchy in that the Pope of Rome is the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church.

Geography
Italy is located in southern Europe and comprises the long, boot-shaped Italian Peninsula, the land between the peninsula and the Alps, and some islands including Sicily and Sardinia. Corsica, although belonging to the Italian geographical region, has been a part of France since 1769. Its total area is 301,230 km2 (116,310 sq mi), of which 294,020 km2 (113,520 sq mi) is land and 7,210 km2 is water (2,784 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 35° and 48° N, and longitudes 6° and 19° E. Including islands, Italy has a coastline of 7,600 kilometres (4,700 mi) on the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Sea.

Mountains
Almost 40% of the Italian territory is mountainous, with the Alps as the northern boundary and the Apennine Mountains forming the backbone of the peninsula and extending for 1,350 km (840 mi). In between the two lies a large plain in the valley of the Po, the largest river in Italy, which flows 652 km (405 mi) eastward from the Cottian Alps to the Adriatic. The Po Valley is the largest plain in Italy, with 46,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi), and it represents over 70% of the total plain area in the country. The Alpine mountain range is linked with the Apennines with the Colle di Cadibona pass in the Ligurian Alps. Worldwide-known mountains in Italy are Matterhorn (Cervino), Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso in the West Alps, and Bernina, Stelvio[disambiguation needed] and Dolomites along the eastern side of the Alps. The highest peak in Italy is Mont Blanc, at 4,810 metres (15,780 ft) above sea level. Mont Blanc is also the highest mountain in Europe.

Volcanoes
Many elements of the Italian territory are of volcanic origin. Most of the small islands and archipelagos in the south, like Capraia, Ponza, Ischia, Eolie, Ustica and Pantelleria are volcanic islands. There are also active volcanoes: Etna, in Sicily, the largest active volcano in Europe; Vulcano, Stromboli, and Vesuvius, near Naples, the only active volcano on mainland Europe

Climate
Thanks to the great longitudinal extension of the peninsula and the mostly mountainous internal conformation, the climate of Italy is highly diverse. In most of the inland northern and central regions, the climate ranges from humid subtropical to humid continental and oceanic. In particular, the climate of the Po valley geographical region is mostly continental, with harsh winters and hot summers. The coastal areas of Liguria, Tuscany and most of the South generally fit the Mediterranean climate stereotype (Köppen climate classification Csa). Conditions on peninsular coastal areas can be very different from the interior's higher ground and valleys, particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer. Average winter temperatures vary from 0 °C (32 °F) on the Alps to 12 °C (54 °F) in Sicily, like so the average summer temperatures range from 20 °C (68 °F) to over 30 °C (86 °F).

Demographics
Italy is the foundation of the Italiens and stands as the centerpiece of the Italien people, and their culture. The Italiens are devided onto the land with the mainland and parts of the southern peninsula with the mainstream Italiens, but the island of Sicily is dominated by Sicilians, the island of Corisca, and Sardinia are dominated by the Corsians, and the Maltese are dominent on the island of Malta. The Italiens are one of the most numerous of the followers of Christianity and in this way they have become the bedrock of Roman Catholism which is the western sub-sect of the overal christian relgion. In this way the Romans control part of the Christian heirchy in that the Pope of Rome is the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church.

Language
Main Article : Italian Language

The main language of Italy is Italian (a recent proposal aims to declare it the official language), a descendant of the Tuscan dialect and a direct descendant of Latin, but several regional languages are also spoken to varying degrees. Italy has numerous dialects spoken all over the country and some Italians cannot speak Italian at all. Several linguistic groups are legally recognized, and a number of minority languages have co-official status alongside Italian in various parts of the country. French is co-official in the Valle d’Aosta—although in fact Franco-Provencal is more commonly spoken there. German has the same status in the province of South Tyrol as, in some parts of that province and in parts of the neighbouring Trentino, does Ladin. Slovene is officially recognised in the provinces of Trieste, Gorizia and Udine in Friuli Venezia Giulia. In these regions official documents are bilingual (trilingual in Ladin communities), or available upon request in either Italian or the co-official language. Traffic signs are also multilingual, except in the Valle d’Aosta where – with the exception of Aosta itself which has retained its Latin form in Italian (as in English) – French toponyms are generally used, attempts to italianise them during the Fascist period having been abandoned. Education is possible in minority languages where such schools are operating.