to its southeast. Austria and Switzerland border Italy to the north. France borders Italy to the northwest.
The Capital of Italy is Rome, also the largest city. The official language of Italy is Italian. About 98% of the people in Italy are Roman Catholic. The pope lives in Rome. Italy is 116,320 sq. miles. In 1994 the population estimate was about 57,107,000 (491 per sq. mile). Italy's official name is Repubblica Italiana (Italian Republic). The National Anthem is "Fratelli d'Italia" ("Brothers of Italy").
Central and southern Italy have hot summers