Italy is a state in southern Europe, in the centre of the Mediterranean. It has been a member of the European Union since their inception, and is the third largest economy in the Eurozone.
Inside Italy there are two enclave states: San Marino and the Vatican State, located inside the territory of Italy, with each of them Italy has an internal border which is respectively 39 km long and 3.2 km long.
It occupies the Apennine Peninsula, the extreme north-west of the Balkan Peninsula, the Padana Plain, the southern slopes of the Alps, the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and a number of small islands.
Italy is home to 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Italy shares with China the highest number of World Heritage Sites
