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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is located on theItalian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest islands in theMediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern Alpineboundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent statesof San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within the Italian Peninsula,while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland.

The climate in Italy is highly diverseand can be far from the stereotypical Mediterranean climate depending on thelocation. Most of the inland northern areas of Italy (for example Turin, Milanand Bologna) have a continental climate often classified as humid subtropicalclimate. The coastal areas of Liguria and most of the peninsula south ofFlorence generally fit the Mediterranean stereotype. The coastal areas of thepeninsula can be very different from the interior higher altitudes and valleys,particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to becold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm andgenerally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer. InOctober 2007, Italy officially reached more than 59.5 million persons. Italycurrently has the fourth largest population in the European Union, and the 23rdlargest population in the world.

Italy is a destination for immigrants from all over theworld. At the end of 2006, foreigners comprised 5% of the population or2,938,922 persons, an increase of 270,000 since the previous year. In someItalian cities, such as Brescia, Milan, Padua, and Prato, immigrants total morethan 10% of the population.  Themost recent wave of migration has been from surrounding European nations,particularly Eastern Europe, replacing North Africans as a major source ofmigrants.