Italy i/ˈɪtəli/, officially the
Italian Republic or the
Republic of Italy, is a
unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders
France,
Switzerland,
Austria and
Slovenia along the
Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the
Italian Peninsula,
Sicily,
Sardinia–the two largest islands in the
Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of
San Marino and the
Vatican City are
enclaves within Italy, while
Campione d'Italia is an Italian
exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km2 and is influenced by a
temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the
fifth most populous country in Europe, and the
23rd most populous in the world.