Italy

Italy is a republic in southern Europe, bordered on the north by Switzerland and Austria, on the east by Slovenia and the Adriatic Sea, on the south by the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, on the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ligurian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, and on the northwest by France. It comprises, in addition to the Italian mainland, the Mediterranean islands of Elba, Sardinia, and Sicily and many lesser islands. Enclaves within mainland Italy are the independent countries of San Marino and Vatican City; the latter being a papal state mostly enclosed by Rome, the capital and largest city of Italy. The area of Italy is 301,323 sq km (116,341 sq mi)