Ecosystems

Italy has many 3 main ecosystems. The ecosystems are Chaparral, Mixed Forest, and Woodland and Shrubs. Chaparral is near the south of the peninsula. It is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate, mild and wet winters, and hot dry summers. The mixed forest is in the center of Italy. It contains coniferous and deciduous forests. A coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome found in temperate regions of the world with warm summers and cool winters and sufficient rainfall to sustain a forest. Deciduous forests are dominated by trees that lose their leaves each year. They are found in areas where warm moist summers alternate with mild winters. The woodlands and shrubs are found throughout. They have a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support shrubs and plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transitions to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of primary or secondary succession.

Natural Resources

Although Italy imports more than 80 percent of the energy resources and raw materials needed for its manufacturing needs, it does have its own natural resources, including deposits of pumice, feldspar, and marble. Italy also has some natural gas reserves, located in the Po Valley and in the Adriatic. U.S. Department of State says Italy's economic strength is in the processing and the manufacturing of goods, primarily in small/medium-sized family-owned firms.

Human Environment Interactions

Even though Cosenza is in a mountainous part of Italy, a lot of crops are grown near Cosenza. So agriculture is one way in which people from Cosenza interact with their environment. Italy is also surrounded by the sea and has many coastal areas so they eat lots of seafood. They have volcanoes nearby that help process the soil and make it rich, so it is good for growing food, but also dangerous possibly.

Human Geography

Political Boundary

Italy is surrounded by many boundaries. To the north, Italy borders with Switzerland and Austria. To the west it shares a border with France.To the east Slovenia. To the south it borders the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea. Also in the east Italy shares a border with the Adriatic Sea

Culture

Italy's culture is very diverse. it includes arts, architecture, broadcasting, cinema, design, fashion, literature, music, science, and visual art. They also have famous worldwide cuisine, they have their own separate education system, they speak their own language and they have a variety of different sports. Italian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political changes.Italy's public education is free and compulsory from 6–16 years of age. It has a five-year primary stage and an eight-year secondary stage, divided into first-grade secondary school (middle school) and second-grade secondary school (or high school). Italy has both public and private education systems.Italian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team is among the very best in the world

Demographics
Italy has 60,626,442 inhabitants and is growing at a rate of 0.42% over the last year. It has a death 3.38 deaths/1,000 live births and a literacy rate of 98.4% and a overall life expectancy rate at 81.77 years.

It is currently going through a phase where the older population is becoming larger then what can be supported which has led to the Italian Government cutting retirement policies. Italy is also 90% predominantly Roman Catholic with the remaining 10% being mostly protestant. Italy's most populous city is Rome with a population of 2,761,477 inhabitants. The most populous region is Lombardy in the north of Italy with a population of 9.9 million inhabitants.

Government System

Italy is a parliamentary, socialist democratic republic with a multiparty system. It's executive power is exercised by the council of ministers that are led by the President or "Presidente del Consiglio". Italy most recently voted out Silvio Berlusconi who was believed to be corrupt and paying voters to vote for him. This is all going on during a time where Italy starts to see a large economic decline which has the Italian Government scrambling for solutions.