ITALY

Italy

Italy is a country of Europe.

ESSENTIAL DATA

Italy is a country bordered in north by France, Switzerland and Austria. All its other borders are maritime, its  territory  having  the shape of a boot  which advances in the Mediterranean.  Sicily  and  Sardinia  are the two larger Italian islands. Its territory is rather mountainous, in particular in north where part of the Alps is. There are three  active volcanos  in Italy: Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli.

The Italian territory knew a long time  an opposition between North, industrialized and rich,  and the South  (the Mezzogiorno), agricultural and poor. These differences tend to be reduced.

Italy
Name	Italian republic
Population	58 133 509 inhabitants in 2006
Capital	Rome (2 553 873 inhabitants)
Surface	301 323 km²
Administrative cutting	20 areas 103 provinces 8 102 communes
Principal cities	Rome (2 553 873 inhabitants)
	Milan (1 299 439 inhabitants)
	Naples (995 171 inhabitants)
	Turin (902 255 inhabitants)
	Palermo (675 084 inhabitants)
	Genoa (605 084 inhabitants)
	Bologna (374 425 inhabitants)
	Florence (368 059 inhabitants)
Currency	euro
Official language	Italian

A HISTORIC INSIGHT

To O C century after J-C, the history of Italy merges with that of  ancient Rome, in particular of the Roman Empire. Italy is then invaded by  the cruel tribes, then conquered by  Lombards. After being controlled by Carolingiens, Italy is subjected to multiple influences and  its territory is parcelled out. The development of  powerful cities  supports the blooming of arts: it is  the Italian Rebirth  starting from  the xiv ^E century.

The Italian areas must successively deal with the dominations Spanish, Austrian then French.  Nationalist movements  are constituted to  the xix ^E century: their ambition is to release and unify Italy. The revolts follow one another and  Victor-Emmanuel II  is crowned with the head of the kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Italy takes part in the First World War from 1915 at the sides of the Allies. The difficult situation of the post-war period supports the accession with the capacity of  Benito Mussolini  in 1922: it founds  Fascism  and approaches Adolf Hitler. Engaged at the sides of Germany at the beginning of the Second World war, Italy is overcome in 1943. It lines up side of the Allies then. The post-war period is marked by  the restoration of the democracy  and the proclamation of the Republic. In 1957, Italy belongs to the six countries founders of  European construction.

TO GO FURTHER

? Europe
? the capital of Italy:  Rome  
? two other Italian cities:  Venice,  Florence

? ancient Rome
? Rebirth
? Europe of the nations to  the xix ^E century
? European Union

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JAMAICA

Jamaica

Jamaica is a country of Central America, pertaining to  the Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea.

Except for the southern coast, where extend from the plains, the island of Jamaica is  mountainous: the principal assembly line, Blue Mountains, culminates with 2 256 meters of altitude.  The vegetation   is diversified: dwarf cedars, mahogany trees, purple woods, ebony trees, palm trees, coconuts, etc. Fauna, as that of the remainder of the Antilles, includes/understands in particular many species of birds.

The population jamaïcaine is made up in majority of  descendants of black slaves  brought on the island between  the xvii ^E  and  xix ^E centuries, to which Europeans and the Asian ones (Indians and Chinese) were added.  Christianity  is the principal religion of the island.

Traditionally agricultural, the economy of Jamaica rests more and more on mining  (it is the third world bauxite producer) and on  tourism. 

Jamaica
Population	2,8 million inhabitants in 2007
Capital	Kingston (577 623 inhabitants in 2001)
Surface	10 991 km²
Official language	English
Currency	dollar of Jamaica

TO GO FURTHER

? America

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JAMES COOK

James Cook

James Cook (1728-1779) is  an explorer and a British navigator, who explored the Pacific Ocean and his islands.

In 1768, James Cook, then lieutenant, undertake its first voyage towards the Southern Pacific. It goes until to  New Zealand, from which it carries out very precise coastal charts. He is then the first European to be unloaded on  the Eastern coast of Australia. He regains England in 1771.

Left for the one second exploration in 1772, it skirts the ice-barrier, in the south of Australia; it is the first to cross  the polar circle the Antarctic.

At the time of his third and last voyage, in 1776, James Cook discovers some of the islands Sandwich (today the archipelago of Hawaii) then goes up to the Bering Strait, where it is blocked by the ices. Obliged to make halt in Hawaii, it is stabbed during a confrontation with the inhabitants of the island.

TO GO FURTHER 

? large explorers

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JAPAN

Japan

Japan is a country of Asia.

Japan is archipelago  long a 2 approximately 500 km and consisted of  4 principal islands  (of north in the south): Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.  The relief  of Japan is marked by the permanent proximity of  the sea  (nearly 30 000 km of coasts) and of  the mountain  (which covers 75 % of the total surface).  The climate  is marked by  strong contrasts: the cold winds of Siberia (in Russia) touch the north of the country, while the tropical cyclones come from the Asian continent reach the south.

The density of population  is  very high  in Japan: it reaches more than 2 000 inhabitants to the km ^²  in certain areas and nearly 13 000 inhabitants to the km ^²  in the capital  Tokyo  (the largest city of the world)!  The Japanese  population  is very urbanized  (80 % of the population) and the agglomeration of Tokyo only concentrates with it more than 20 % of the total population of the country.

The economy of Japan is  the 2 ^E more powerful in the world  (after that of the United States). It developed particularly quickly after the Second World war. Today, Japanese  industry is placed at the first world ranks in many sectors like electronics  and the car.  The yen  is one of the most significant currencies in the world trade (with the dollar and the euro), while  Tokyo Stock Exchange  is the 2 ^E money market of the world. 

Japan
Name	Japan
Population	127 463 610 inhabitants in 2006
Capital	Tokyo (8 194 727 inhabitants) agglomeration (34 997 269 inhabitants)
Surface	377 837 km²
Administrative cutting	47 prefectures
Principal cities	Tokyo (8 194 727 inhabitants)
	Yokohama (3 518 095 inhabitants)
	Osaka (2 497 208 inhabitants)
	Nagoya (2 130 983 inhabitants)
	Sapporo (1 856 442 inhabitants)
	Kobe (1 493 841 inhabitants)
	Kyoto (1 392 072 inhabitants)
	Fukuoka (1 336 666 inhabitants)
Currency	yen
Official language	Japanese

TO GO FURTHER

? Asia
? the capital of Japan:  Tokyo

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