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The mineral wealth of Israel comes from the Dead Sea. War between Arabs and the Israel broke out in 1948, 1956 and 1967 for the claim that the country belongs to Arabs.
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Italy has long been noted as center of great art and architecture. It is also a modern center of industry and agriculture. Its canned tomatoes are famous, and its factories are among the most modern and efficient in the world. Perhaps one of the most famous of its ancient buildings is also the most unusual the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Italy
Italy is a country in southern Europe, extending into the Mediterranean Sea. On the map, its outline looks like a long boot. It has many old and beautiful buildings, and is warm and sunny. In the north, Italy is bordered by France, Switzerland, Austria and Yugoslavia. The Alps, Europe's highest mountains, form much of this northern frontier. The Adriatic Sea lies to the east, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, and the Ionian Sea to the south. Sicily and Sardinia, two large islands, are also part of Italy.
The northern part of Italy, south of the Alps, is a wide plain. Through this plain run the River Po and its tributaries. Silt carried by the Po is dropped at its mouth in the Adriatic. Gradually more land is being built up into the sea. Adria, a port 2.000 years ago, is now 12 miles inland. The area has hot summers and cold winters, with more rain in the summer than in the winter.
The soil of the northern plain is fertile and farmers grow wheat, rice, corn and other cereals, vines, fruit and vegetables. Mulberry trees, which provide the food for silkworms, grow easily, and Italy has a big silk industry. South of the plain lie the Apennine Mountains, which run down the center of Italy. Low plains lie between the Apennines and the coast. Much of the plains tends to be marshy. Olives, for olive oil, are the most important crop. Oranges and lemons are also grown there, and in Sicily. Summers are hot and dry. Minerals found in Italy include bauxite, lead, mercury, natural gas, sulphur and zinc. The principal manufactures are textiles and engineering products, particularly automobiles. Most of Italy's power is hydro-electric.
Italy's Facts and Figures:
Area of Italy: 116,303 square miles.
Money Unit: Lira
Labor force: 52% urban, 48% rural.
Exports: Textiles, foodstuffs, machinery.
Imports: fuel, raw materials, chemicals.
Many of the people of Italy are dark-haired and dark-eyed. Most of them are Christians. The center of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican, is a tiny, independent country in the middle of Rome. Italy is a republic, with an elected parliament and a president.
The Romans ruled Italy from about 300 B.C. to the fall of the Roman Empire in the late A.D. 400's. It was then ruled for 150 years by Gothic-kings from Germany and later by Charlemagne, king of the Franks. In the 900's, Italy became part of the Holy Roman Empire, which included Germany. The power of the emperors was limited, and they often clashed with the popes in Rome. In the next few hundred years the leading cities of Italy became powerful.
Venice, a seaport on the Adriatic Sea, became a rich trading nation, whose ships carried costly cargoes of spices and silks imported to Europe from Asia. Other leading city-states included Genoa and Florence.
The 1600's and 1700's were a period of unrest in Italy, with many other countries fighting to control part of the peninsula. In the 1790's, Napoleon and the French invaded Italy and conquered it. After Napoleon's downfall, in 1815, Italy was divided into several slates, most of them under Austrian control.
In 1848, the king of Piedmont led an unsuccessful war against the Austrians. During the next 20 years, Italian patriots led by Count Camille di Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi fought to free Italy from Austria, and make it one country. They proclaimed the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. But fighting continued until 1870.
Italy fought against the Germans in World War 1 (1914-1918). After the war the Fascist party seized power. Its leader, Benito Mussolini, became dictator of Italy. In World War 2, Italy fought on the side of Germany. After the war, it became a republic.
