As a nation state, Italy emerged only in 1871. Until then, the country was politically divided into a large number of independant cities, provinces and islands. Sociologists point to a dominant Etruscan, Greek and Roman cultural influence on today's Italians. Most of Italy's history centers around ancient Rome, the seat of the Roman Empire. The rich and powerful people of ancient Rome were the patricians, or governors, and the equites, or men of property.
By the late 6th century, settlers from northern Europe had established a kingdom in Lombardy and before long, Italy had fragmented into a dozen or so states. For the next 1,000 years, the exceedingly complex history of Italy can be seen in terms of a northern region (dominated by the Holy Roman Empire, the Papacy and the growing power of the city states) and a southern region (dominated first by the vestiges of Byzantine power, later by the Muslims and then by the Normans and their successors).
Because Greece is so close to the southern part of Italy, Greek influence began to be very evident as more and more Greeks began to inhabit Sicily, the island just off the toe of Italy's boot. During the period under the Italian monarchy and during the world wars Italy experienced much conflict, but stability was restored after the creation of the Italian Republic.
Today, Italy is a highly-developed country with the 7th-highest GDP and the 17th-highest Human Development Index rating in the world. It is a member of the G8 and a founding member of the European Union, having signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957.
