Population of Italy
The size of the population in Italy is the second largest in Europe, following Germany which is the most populated country. The constant emigration in Italy is an important characteristic of the country. There are more than ten thousand people leaving the country each day. It happens due to the harsh conditions of living in the countryside, unemployment, and low salaries. The living standards of the blue color population of Italy are among the lowest among all the capitalist countries of Europe. A few decades ago emigration in Italy across the ocean was very typical. In the post war period the temporary and seasonal emigration in Italy increased to countries of the Commonwealth, especially Germany and France. The balance of external migration in Italy is negative.
The density of the population in Italy is one of the highest in Europe. And the intensive process of urbanization strongly influences the territorial distribution of the population of Italy. Most of the urban population of Italy is concentrated in the Northern part of the country. Most of the cities of Italy were founded either in ancient or in medieval times. The cities of Italy enjoy worldwide fame as a sort of historical museums with architectural monuments of the old ages and works of art. Among the cities of Italy the ones that stand out the most are Rome, Florence, Venice, Milano, Genoa, and Bologna. The ethnic mix of the population of Italy is homogenous – 98% are Italians. The predominant religious affiliation of the population of Italy is Roman Catholic. Despite the fact that the church in Italy is separated from the state, it is actively involved in the political life of the country and exercises considerable influence over a large circle of the population of Italy. In the western part of Rome one quarter is occupied by an independent country known as Vatican – a theocrat monarchy. The head of the state is the Pope of Rome, who is also the head of the whole Catholic world.
The social classes are represented by a predominance of urban and rural proletariat, poor villagers, artisans and manufacturers. The dominant position is held by a small percentage of industrialists, merchants and agricultural bourgeoisie.
The population of Italy is about 57.5 million people. About 98% of the population of Italy is comprised of Italians, and a little over 2% are of other ethnic origin. The national minorities in Italy are represented by relatively compact groups, who live for many centuries in certain territories. For example, in the Northern part of the country there is a minority called Retoromans (mostly in Friuli) – 350 thousand people, French – 70 thousand people, Slovaks and Croatians – around 50 thousand people; in the Southern part of the country and on the island of Sicily there are around 80 thousand Albanians and around 30 thousand Greeks; on the island of Sardinia there are around 10 thousand Catalonians, 50 thousand Jews and others (see Table 1).
The official language is Italian. The language belongs to the Roman group of Indo-European languages. The whole variety of Italian dialects is usually reduced to three major categories: Northern, Central, and Southern dialects.
The predominant part of the population of Italy is Catholic. The church exercises great influence over various aspects of life of Italians. A significant role is played by the fact that Vatican is located in the center of Italy's capital.
