Italian Republic Repubblica Italiana
CAPITAL : Rome (Roma)
FLAG : The national flag is a tricolor of green, white, and red vertical stripes.
ANTHEM : Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy).
MONETARY UNIT : The euro replaced the lira as the official currency in 2002. The euro is divided into 100 cents. There are coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents and 1 euro and 2 euros. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros. As of May 2003, €1 = $1.0977 (or $1 = €0.911).
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES : The metric system is the legal standard.
HOLIDAYS : New Year's Day, 1 January; Epiphany, 6 January; Liberation Day, 25 April; Labor Day, 1 May; Assumption, 15 August; All Saints' Day, 1 November; National Unity Day, 5 November; Immaculate Conception, 8 December; Christmas, 25 December; St. Stephen's Day, 26 December. Easter Monday is a movable holiday. In addition, each town has a holiday on its Saint's Day.
TIME : 1 PM = noon GMT.
Italy has been the home of various peoples: Lombards and Goths in the north; Greeks, Saracens, and Spaniards in Sicily and the south; Latins in and around Rome; and Etruscans and others in central Italy. For centuries, however, Italy has enjoyed a high degree of ethnic homogeneity. The chief minority groups are the German-speaking people in the Alto Adige (South Tyrol) region and the Slavs of the Trieste area.
Italy has been a member of the UN since 14 December 1955 and participates in the ECE and all UN nonregional specialized agencies. It is a member of the Council of Europe, the EU, NATO, and the OECD and is a signatory to the Law of the Sea and a member of the WTO. Italy also participates in the Asian Development Bank and enjoys permanent observer status at the OAS.
Italy has no territories or colonies.
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