How it works Try a lens The library Explore Get started FAQ Download on the App Store →

COUNTRIES

Italy: map, flag, capital and key facts

Italy is a country in Europe, with about 58.9 million people (2025) and an area of 302,070 square kilometres. Its capital is Rome, and it shares land borders with 6 countries.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

Flag of Italy
Flag of Italy
Map showing where the country sits among its neighbours
Italy in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.

Key facts about Italy

CapitalRome
ContinentEurope
Population58,915,656 2025, World Bank. 25th of 195.
Area302,070 km² (116,630 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 71st largest of 195.
Population density195 people per km²
Land neighbours6: Austria, France, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland, Vatican City
Official nameItalian Republic
UN statusMember state
Capital coordinates41.90° N, 12.48° E Rome, Natural Earth.

Land neighbours

Italy borders 6 countries on land. Each links to its own page.

AustriaViennaFranceParisSan MarinoSan MarinoSloveniaLjubljanaSwitzerlandBernVatican CityVatican City

From the Geography app

The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Italy's 8, in full.

PLACELens 1 of 8

A peninsula that divides the Mediterranean in two

Italy extends like a boot into the center of the Mediterranean, splitting it into eastern and western basins. The Alps wall off the north, while the Apennine spine runs the length of the peninsula. That shape gave Italy coastline on three sides and made it a natural crossroads for trade, migration, and naval power long before it was a single country.

More on Apennine spine

The Apennines run roughly 1,200 km from Liguria to Calabria, dividing the peninsula's east and west coasts and historically isolating communities from one another.

7 more lenses on Italy in the app

  • STORY Italy unified late and the seams still show
  • STORY The Renaissance and the Vatican make Italy a permanent reference point
  • NOW Meloni proved that Italy's far right can govern, and be normalized
  • THREAD Italy is a founding EU member and the Mediterranean's political voice
  • NOW Europe's demographic future, arriving in Italy first
  • PLACE Millions of Italians live on active volcanic ground
  • THREAD Europe's southern door is a small Sicilian island

Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.

Compare Italy with another country

Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.

Common questions

What is the capital of Italy?
The capital of Italy is Rome. Rome lies at about 41.9 degrees north and 12.5 degrees east. Italy is in Europe. It is home to about 58.9 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Italy?
About 58.9 million people live in Italy, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 25th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 302,070 square kilometres, that is about 195 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Italy?
Italy shares land borders with 6 countries: Austria, France, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland and Vatican City. The map on this page outlines each of them around Italy. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is Italy?
Italy covers 302,070 square kilometres, or about 116,630 square miles. That makes it the 71st largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 58.9 million gives a density of 195 people per square kilometre.

Keep exploring