The population of Italy is over 60 million people.
At the end of the 19th century, residents of the northern regions began to leave Italy - Italians rushed to other countries (USA, Brazil, Argentina, Central Europe).
With regard to immigration, the number of foreigners living in Italy legally increased in the 1990s. So, such diasporas as Romanian, Albanian, Moroccan are numerous.
National composition:
- Italians (95%);
- Germans, French, Arabs, Albanians and other nations (5%).
Recently, the number of foreigners who come to Italy for permanent residence has increased significantly - today there are 60 foreigners per 1 Italian.
On average, 200 people live per 1 km2, but, for example, in Campania there are 420 people per 1 km2, in Lombardy - 410, and in Liguria - 298 people.
The most populous Italian city is Rome (over 2 million inhabitants live here), and the sparsely populated is Pedesina (only 30 people live here).
The official language is Italian.
Major cities: Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo, Genoa, Florence, Bologna, Venice.
Most Italians are Roman Catholics.
Life span
Italy has rather low fertility rates, so people with an average age of 75 years (men - 79 years old, and women - 84 years old) prevail here.
On average, the male population lives up to 80, and the female - up to 85 years.
The high life expectancy is due to the fact that Italians smoke 2 times less than Russians, Greeks and residents of the Balkans. In addition, Italy is in the last lines of the list of countries for the consumption of spirits.
The diet of Italians is dominated by pasta from durum wheat, fresh fruits and vegetables, so only 10, 3% of Italians are overweight.
Traditions and customs of the inhabitants of Italy
Popular traditions are popular in Italy - Italians make unique products from ceramics and glass (chandeliers, decanters, vases), wicker items (boxes, bags, Florentine hats).
Italians honor family values: they always try to dine with the family, and men often carry photos of their wives and children with them.
Celebrating the New Year is a national Italian tradition: various dishes must be present on the table, and it is customary to break the dishes at midnight (this must be done to drive away the negative energy that has accumulated during the year).
It is customary to celebrate the New Year by wearing red underwear (it is believed that thanks to this you can attract personal luck and love), but the wish will come true only if you get rid of the underwear the next day.
Arriving in Italy, you can get to know better the controversial people - the Italians: despite the fact that they love to talk and actively gesticulate, they are sedate people who love their family and home.
