Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Republic of
Italy is a country that consists of a peninsula delimited by the Alps
and several islands. Italy is located in the middle of the Mediterranean
Sea, in Southern Europe and is also considered part of Western Europe. A
unitary parliamentary republic with Rome as its capital and largest
city.The country covers a total area of 301,230 km2 and shares land
borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, as well as the
enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. With over 60
million inhabitants Italy is the third-most populous member state of the
European Union.