Italy: Flag and Facts
The flag of Italy has three equal vertical stripes of green, white, and red, with green on the pole side.
- Official name
- Italian Republic
- Capital
- Rome
- Region
- Southern Europe
- Population
- 61 million (2025)
- Languages
- Italian
- Currency
- Euro
- Area
- 301,336 km² (116,346 sq mi)
- People
- Italian
- Calling code
- +39
- Highest point
- Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc) 4,748 m
- Independence
- 17 March 1861
- National symbols
- five-pointed white star (Stella d'Italia)
- Borders
- Austria, France, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland, Vatican City
About Italy
The red and white come from the colors of Milan, and the green matched the uniforms worn by Milan's civic guard. The overall design took inspiration from the French flag that Napoleon carried into Italy in 1797. A white five-pointed star, the Stella d'Italia, serves as a national symbol.
Italy became one country on 17 March 1861, when the states of the peninsula, plus Sardinia and Sicily, came together under King Victor Emmanuel II. In the early 1920s, Mussolini set up a Fascist dictatorship, and his alliance with Nazi Germany ended in defeat in World War II. Voters replaced the monarchy with a democratic republic in 1946, an event still marked by Republic Day on 2 June. Italy was a founding member of NATO and the group that became the EU, and it joined the euro system in 1999.
Did you know?
- Italy's high point is a secondary peak of Mont Blanc on the Courmayeur side, 4,748 m up.
- Half of Italy's people are older than 48.8 years, the country's median age.
- San Marino and Vatican City are both tiny countries surrounded by Italian territory.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Italy
What is the capital of Italy?
Rome is the capital and largest city, with about 4.3 million people in 2023. Milan comes second.
What is Italy's national anthem called?
It is Il Canto degli Italiani, or The Song of the Italians.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.