Italy is a relatively young country in southern Europe. Its lands were finally united into a single whole only in 1871. Nevertheless, the history of Italian statehood is rooted in the distant past, during the existence of the Roman Empire. Representatives of various nationalities have long lived on the territory of the state. Many of them became part of a single Italian ethnic group, while others managed to maintain their identity. What people inhabit Italy today? We will talk about the composition of its population.
A bit of history
Italy occupies the central part of southern Europe. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, covering the entire Apennine Peninsula, the Padan Lowland and the surrounding Alps, as well as the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.
In the first century BC, the territory of the country was inhabited by Umbras, Sabines, Gauls, Etruscans, Ligurs, Greeks, Eques, Volsky and other tribes. One of the most numerous peoples inhabiting Italy was the Latins living in the Lazium region. Together with several local tribes, they founded Rome and began to call themselves Romans, and their language Latin. The Italians, from whom the name of the modern state came from, lived only in a small area in the south of the “boot”. However, in the next century the name "Italy" spread to the Alps themselves.
Rome was not peaceful. It grew and grew stronger, capturing foreign territories, and very soon became the most powerful state in the Mediterranean. He conquered the Etruscans, Ligurs, Greeks, Celts, Venets, came to North Africa, Asia Minor, Syria and Palestine.
In the 5th century AD, a great power fell from the raids of barbarian tribes, most of which were Germanic peoples. Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Huns, Vandals and Franks invaded here. On the territory of the empire, scattered duchies and regions were formed, fighting among themselves and suffering from raids by Hungarians and Arabs. The fragmentation of Italy and the peoples living in it, persisted for many centuries.
Nevertheless, over the years of the existence of the empire, a Roman ethnos with various dialects and regional features was formed on its territory. Mingling with the invaders, it became the basis for the formation of Italian ethnicity and the Italian language.
The lands of Italy were part of the Holy Roman Empire, as part of the Papal States, the Norman Kingdom, the Lombard League and small independent republics. It was possible to unite all the territories only in 1871, when Rome joined the Kingdom of Italy .
The peoples of Italy
Today, almost 60 million people live in the state. According to various sources, 80-94% of them are Italians. Currently, there are about three million foreigners in the country, most of whom come from Albania, Morocco, Romania, Ukraine, China, the Philippines, India, and Egypt.
The ancient peoples of Italy, traditionally living on its territory are arberes, Romansh, Friulians, ladins, romances. These include groups of Slovenes, French, Germans, Tyroleans, Greeks, Croats, whose ancestors arrived here in the Middle Ages, and maybe even earlier. Italians themselves are divided into various sub-ethnic groups, such as Sicilians and Sardinians.
The official language of the state is Italian, but regional languages and dialects are developed in the regions. In terms of population, Italy ranks fourth in Europe, second only to Germany, France and the UK. However, the state has a high rate of emigration, and the natural increase is negative.
On one square meter, an average of 201 people live. The most densely populated areas are Campania, Liguria, Lazio and Lombardy with a density of 300-500 people / km 2 . About 60% of the country's population lives in cities. The largest number of inhabitants are Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo and Genoa.
Sardinians
Sardinians, or Sardis, number about 2.5 million people and live in Argentina, Germany, France, Switzerland and Belgium. In Italy, people are distributed mainly in Sardinia - one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean. Here their number is about 1.6 million. They have their own language, which belongs to the romance group and consists of five dialects. It has features of the Spanish and Italian languages, but it does not apply to their dialects, but is considered independent.
The distant ancestors of the Sardinians were the "peoples of the sea" Sherdans, who arrived on the island in the second millennium BC. The formation of their ethnic group and language was influenced by the Phoenicians, Vandals, Byzantines, rivers, conquering the island along with the Romans. The features of the local language reflected the features of the dialects of the Genoese, Tuscans and Pisans.
Friules
This Italian people lives in the north-east of the country in the Friuli –Veneti Giulia region, where its population is about 500 thousand people. Outside the country, the region borders on Slovenia and Austria. Part of the people lives in Venice.
By cultural and genetic characteristics, Friules are close with romances and ladins, and their language belongs to the Romansh group. They are the descendants of Venets, Karnes, and Euganeans, whose ethnogenesis was influenced by the Lombards, Huns, Slavs, and Visigoths. The people got their name by the name of the Roman municipality of the Forum of Julia. They were romanized by the 5th century, and in the 19th century they almost completely adopted the life and culture of Italians.
Ladins
Ladins belong to the Romansh language group. Unlike Sardinians and Friulians, not only Catholics, but also Calvinists are found among them. In total, the number of ladins is about 35 thousand people. Some of them live in Switzerland, while others live in Italy.
Ladins are descendants of romanized rites. In Italy, they inhabit mainly South Tyrol, partly Trento and Belluno in the north of the country. They live in isolated alpine villages, engaged in cattle breeding, woodcarving and farming. The traditional occupation of the people is also lace weaving. They speak Ladin, a mixture of Latin and Latin, but each village has its own special dialect. Ladins still retain the old traditions and customs. Matriarchy reigns in their families, where the decisive word always belongs to the female sex, even girls make an invitation to marriage. To express their intentions, the girls give three pears to the matrimonial.
Romance
Romance people also live in the Alps in northern Italy. Its representatives also inhabit Switzerland. They number about 65 thousand people and profess Catholicism. Little is known about this Italian people. Romansh live in small villages in the mountains, engaged in agriculture. Their ancestors are also Rets, who were romanized in the first century BC. Later they were influenced by the Allemans and Bavars.
Sicilians
Sicilians are a subethnos of Italians, but they should not talk about it. They consider themselves a separate people with a special culture and their own language. They really differ from Italians, at least in that they are not so emotional and behave more restrained. For them, family and relationships are very important, women have a special status of respect. The desire of the mother for every Sicilian is literally law.
In Italy they live mainly in Sicily. And the ancestors are Sicans and Siculas, influenced by the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Ostrogoths, Normans. Sicilian language is spoken not only on the island, but also in Calabaria, Campania and Puglia, Arabic played a large role in its formation. Sicilians are known for their ceramics and wooden carts, which they still produce today, as well as for the mafia that formed here in the 19th century and continues to operate today.