“What kind of country is Italy?” International society learned in 2 minutes | A book that puts the map of the world in your head just by reading it | Diamond Online

Countries seen in the news, countries that have participated in the Olympics and World Cups, countries that caught your eye in the guides, even if you only know their names“What kind of country is this? »It’s surprisingly hard to imagine. “A book that gives you a map of the world just by reading it(edited by Hitoyasu Ida) divides the world map into about 30 regions, and while looking at the map gives an overview of all 212 countries and regions of the world.It is a historical book that allows you to learn the characteristics of each region and the relations between countries in a compact way, and clearly understand the important world issues that adults should know.In this seriesthis bookBy extracting part of the book, we will introduce the countries of the world one by one every day.

What kind of country is Italy?

Italy is a boot-shaped country in southern Europe that juts out in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. France,Swiss、Austria、SloveniaSan Marino and adjoins the Vatican.

The Roman Empire, which ruled the Mediterranean region from the 1st to the 5th century BC, had a great influence on later European culture along with ancient Greece.

Various buildings such as the amphitheater called the Colosseum, which was built with excellent architectural technology, still survive in the capital of Rome, and you can see them up close.

Trade and industry have developed in the towns of northern Italy since ancient times. In the 10th century, Venice, known as the “City of Water”, prospered in trade with the eastern Mediterranean, while Florence, known as the “City of Flowers”, developed finance and industry woolly.

In the 14th century, the Renaissance, said to be a free and living culture emphasizing humanity, emerged from the cities of northern Italy and spread throughout Western Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. .

After that, Italy was divided for a long time, but united at the end of the 19th century.

When the Axis powers were defeated in World War II, Mussolini’s regime collapsed in 1943, the monarchy was abolished in 1946, and a republic was established in 1948.

First agricultural power in Europe

Italy is a country with a thriving agricultural industry.Germany3rd in the EU after(2019)。

Because the country is long and narrow from north to south, the climate differs between north and south, and the fertile plains extend into the Po River basin in the north, where there is a lot of rainfall, and it is a rich granary comprising paddy fields.

On the other hand, in the mountainous southern part, Mediterranean agriculture is practiced and, in addition to wheat, grapes and olives, which are the second largest producers in the world, and tomatoes, which are the sixth in the world, are produced .(2019)。

Dairy farming is also thriving, producing a wide variety of cheeses.

North-south disparity becomes apparent due to economic development

Along with economic growth, the tertiary sector developed rapidly from the 1980s. The northern triangle of Italy linking Genoa, Milan and Turin is the heart of the industry.

Genoa is Italy’s largest port city, Turin has a thriving automotive industry, and Milan is an international fashion center with a growing textile and clothing industry.

The rich north is centered on industry, while the poor south is centered on agriculture and light industry. As a result, income disparity is significant and how to resolve this north-south disparity has become an issue.

In addition, the northern and central regions centered on Bologna and Florence are called the “third Italy”, where local small and medium industries that manufacture branded bags are concentrated and exported to the world.

In February 2021, former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi became Prime Minister and announced fiscal consolidation through economic growth rather than austerity.

(This article is based onA book that gives you a map of the world just by reading itThis is an excerpt and edited from )