Italy is located in southern Europe extending into the Mediterranean Sea. Its total area is 301,340 square Kilometers made up of ninety-eight percent land, which makes it the seventy-second largest country in comparison to the world. Italy is currently part of the twenty-seven member-states of the European Union, and makes up about twelve percent of the population with 61,680,122 people and has the twenty-fourth largest population. Its population mostly speaks Italian which is the official language of Italy, and eighty percent of its population is Roman Catholic.
One of the reasons I chose to do this report on Italy is because a large portion of my family still lives there. The last time I went to Italy was the year 2000, when I was five years old, and I remember being shocked by their culture. Some of the major culture shock that I experienced which intrigues me was their lack of air conditioning/ ice. This seemed shocking especially since the summer I went was one of their hottest ever recorded. Since then much has changed, including some major modernizations like the addition of central air. Another huge change was their switch from the Lira to the Euro. The Lira was the official currency of Italy until January 1st, 1999, yet it was not replaced fully until February 28th, 2002. The exchange rate was approximately one Euro to 1936.27 Lira. This switch in currency was a major change especially because the US dollar used to be much stronger than the Lira. The exchange rate was one US Dollar converts to 1405.74 Lira. This used to be great for tourists coming to Italy from America because everything would seem cheaper since the US dollar was worth much more than the Lira. The Euro currently converts to about one Euro...
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...or’s net exports decreased by the most.
Italy’s Gross Domestic Product is broken up into several categories; consumption at sixty percent, government expenditure at twenty percent, investments at seventeen percent, and net exports at two percent. The reason net exports were lower than usual was because general output fell by twenty-seven percent while exports fell by twenty-four percent due to the decreased output. The falling output is part of the reason why Italy is having trouble raising its GDP in the years after the recession. Some people attribute the falling output to the strength of the Euro. Many citizens believe that they country made a mistake by switching, and think that the reason they aren’t selling as much is due to their prices being higher than before. This results in people buying many of their products elsewhere, and Italy loosing exports.
The majority language spoken in Italy is Italian, however, there are a few minor languages spoken in different regions of Italy such as German, or French (Commisceo Global, 2016). Unlike Italy, the United States has different accents depending on the region of the United States we are from, but there is only one language that is spoken and understood by all people.
"Viaggiando manterrà il vostro cuore giovane nella vostra mente forte," was one of the many inspirational quotes told to me by my Italian grandmother. Storytelling was her forte. And it is because of these stories of her life that I developed an obsession for Italy and travel. Full of energy and complete wanderlust, she lived life to the fullest, passing away at 94. I often wonder if her long life had anything to do with growing up in Italy, and whether her lifestyle choices varied significantly from that of American culture. From a business perspective, GDP is an oftentimes used term to describe the government’s spending habits. And as a business major intent on making a positive difference in our society, I can’t help but wonder why Italians have a much longer lifespan, yet spend nearly half of what the United States do on their health care system.
Ginsborg P (1990). ‘A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics: 1943-1980’ Published by Penguin; Reprint edition (27 Sep 1990).
...1990s. It is fundamental to comprehend how Albanians have been treated and viewed by southern Italians in the past, how Albanians have tried to adjust to Italian society, and how present conditions stand. Albanians discovered a rough beginning in southern Italy full of blame and discrimination, though, some positive changes have occurred, mainly due to the fact that Albanians gave up their traditions to become more “Italian.” It is hoped that time will cure all, that stereotypes and negative attitudes will fade, and that Albanians will be completely integrated into southern Italian society one day. Like a famous Albanian proverb says, “Durimi është çelësi për parajsë”, which can be translated to “Patience is the key to paradise.” After all, Italian public opinion is much higher towards historically established minorities than towards newly settled immigrant groups.
To begin with, this is determined by Italy's weak and foreign expansion policy. In 1871, the long-torn apartness of Italy achieved unity, providing favorable conditions for the development of capitalism. But the reunification is completed from top to bottom, retaining a large number of feudal remnants, which seriously hindered the further development of the Italian economy, resulting in the backwardness of Italy, mainly in three aspects: First, backward agriculture, food production is extremely
Only thirty years after the Piedmontese army marched into Rome to unite Italy under one government, the country suddenly found itself on the brink of the twentieth century and a rapidly changing world. The twentieth century would mark the beginning of great changes throughout Europe, and Italy would not be left untouched. What set the stage for these changes, though, were the years just prior to, and directly after 1900.
During the late 1800's Italy became one of the most overcrowded countries in Europe. Many Italians began to consider the possibility of leaving Italy to escape the new low wages and high taxes. For centuries the entire Italian peninsula was divided into quarreling states, with foreign powers often controlling several states. In this chaotic situation, the feudal system ruled above the economic system, leaving money only in the hands of a select few (Wikepedia.com, 2007).
Italy has a current population of 58,742,000 people in the twenty first century. The geography consists of a mountainous peninsula in southern Europe, which then extends all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. This includes the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and numerous amounts of other smaller islands. The mountain range known as the Alps, forms Italy's border with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia (National Geographic). The majority of Italy has a Mediterranean climate, which is typically defined as having cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.
Over the past ten years, I have had the opportunity to travel extensively around the United States and Canada with my family so traveling abroad to Italy seemed like a natural adventure. I anticipated that my journey to Italy to be very similar to my previous experiences, with the addition of seeing some of the most beautiful landmarks and paintings in the world. When I arrived, I discovered an entirely different culture and attitude towards Americans. Conversation was difficult and I felt out-of-place. Italians were able to tell me apart even before I said a word. Anti-American graffiti were written on the stone walls of Rome which made me feel very unwelcomed.
There’s a lot more to being Italian than the typical stereotypes that we have come to know from movies, television and books. From the Catholic mobsters who kill during the week but always make it to mass on Sunday, to the “how you doin” views of Joey from the television show “Friends”, people often forget the more important parts of being Italian. It is a culture like no other, full of history, art, and most importantly, their passion for food. Italian food, in my opinion, is the best in the world. Italians put so much into everything they make that the time and effort is tasted with every single bite. One of my favorite dishes would have to be fettuccini alfredo and it just happens to be a fairly easy, but extremely delicious, dish to make. Trust me, if I can make it, you can make it.
The recent global financial crisis that affected not only America but also Europe and other parts of the world resulted in massive unemployment. This is due to the high costs of operation that many corporations faced forcing them to cut on labor costs. There is need for European government interventions to avert this social crisis and prevent the occurrence of such a crisis in future. Unemployment has hit the service sector harder than other sectors with the following being the most affected: automotive, construction, tourism, finance and real estate. The global financial crisis has also increased consumer prices thus pushing inflation. According to McCathie, “the increase in July consumer prices to 1.7 per cent pushed inflation in the currency bloc up towards the European Central Bank’s target of keeping inflation at below, but close to 2 per cent. Eurozone consumer prices had stood at 1.4 per cent in June” (McCathie, 2010).
I would first like to cover religion. Like most places there are a wide variety of different religions, but in the Italian culture most people are raised to be catholic. About 88% of Italians are catholic. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest and oldest Church in Italy. The catholic hierarchy is college of bishops and the Pope.
In the early years of the twentieth century, Italy has created a new system of government, however suffered social and economic conditions. Improvements were made however, poverty and literacy were still problems that have not been solved well. While entering World War I, the nation was neutral up until joining the British and French in exchange for certain advantages. However, it was unsuccessful as Italy failed to take control of the territories that it claimed at the Versailles Peace Conference, and suffered significant losses. The ideology of fascism occurred when the power of Italy was shrinking and the idea of being a pacifist became weak.
There are many reasons why I would like to visit Italy. First of all, I am really interested in Italy’s ancient history and architectural heritage. Rome, the capital city of Italy is one of the most significant cities in history ruled by the famous Roman kings such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Vespasian and many more. I have heard and learnt the history of the Roman Empire since I was young and it made me want to visit Italy. I have also watched many Roman historic movies and it motivated my desire to visit the...
The capital city of Italy is a very extraordinary place to visit. The population of Rome is well over two-million. The people there are very friendly and are extremely proud of their country. Rome is a beautiful bustling city that has a moderate cli mate. The temperature usually stays around eighty degrees. The main way of transportation is by bus.