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Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma, Greek: Ρώμη ) is the capital of Italy and of its Latium region. It is located across the confluence of the Tibe

r and Aniene rivers. It was once the capital of the Roman Empire, the most powerful, largest, and longest lasting empire of classical antiquity. The Vatican, a sovereign enclave within Rome, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and the home of the Pope.

Rome is the largest city and comune in Italy and it is also one of the largest among European capital cities, with an area of 1,285 square kilometers. The comune territory extends up to the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the district of Ostia, on the south-west, located on the shore. Within the city limits, the population is about 2.5 million; almost 3.8 million live in the general area of Rome as represented by the province of Rome. The current mayor of Rome is Walter Veltroni.

With a gross domestic product of €97 billion in the year 2005, the comune of Rome produced 6.7% of Italy's GDP, which is the highest rate among all of Italy's cities.

The city's history extends nearly 2,800 years, during which time it has been the seat of ancient Rome, and later the Papal States, Kingdom of Italy and Italian Republic (modern Italy). Rome is also called "la Città Eterna" (the Eternal City), "l' Urbe" (the latin for the City pre-eminently) and "The City of the Seven Hills".

The civilization of ancient Rome originated in the 8th or 9th century BC, when the tribe of the Latini migrated to the Italian peninsula to settle around the River Tiber. For almost a thousand years, Rome was the most important city in the Western world and possibly the largest city in the world, with around 1.5 to 2 million inhabitants, as the capital of the expansive Roman Empire. With the rise of Christianity, Rome became the center of the Roman Catholic Church and the home of the popes. The slow decline of the Roman Empire heralded the beginning of the Middle Ages, but the city regained prominence as the cultural capital of Western Roman Empire for several hundred years leading up to the Renaissance. Rome remains influential today, as the capital of Italy and of the Catholic Church and as a major metropolis.

In Roman mythology, Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC by the twin descendants of the Trojan prince Aeneas, Romulus and Remus. Romulus killed Remus in a quarrel over where their city was to be located and became the first of seven Kings of Rome, as well as the source of the city's name[1].

See also: Founding of Rome, Roman Kingdom, and Roman Republic
Central Rome is dominated by the traditional Seven Hills that hark back to the Latin founding myth of the city. These seven hills are the Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, Aventine, Capitoline, and Palatine Hills. The Tiber River and its islands are an important additional component of the city, flowing south through the western portion of the central zone.

Rome's climate is at its most comfortable from April through June or early July. By August, the temperature during the heat of the day often exceeds 35 degrees Celsius, 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Many businesses close during August, and Romans traditionally abandon the city for cooler climes. The average high temperature in December is about 13 degrees Celsius, 55 Fahrenheit, according to the British Broadcasting Corp.'s Weather Centre site.

Today, Rome has a dynamic and diverse economy with thriving innovation, technologies, communications and service sectors. It produces 6.7% of the national GDP (more than any other city in Italy). Rome grows 4,4% annually and continues to grow at a higher rate than its rivals in the rest of the country. Rome's economic growth began to surpass that of its rivals, Naples and Milan after World War II. Tourism is inevitably one of Rome's chief industries, with many notable museums including the Vatican Museum, and the Borghese Gallery. The city is also a centre for banking as well as electronics and aerospace industries.

The EUR district is the core of the business affairs in Rome.Many international headquarters, government ministries, conference centres, sports venues and museums are located in Rome's principal business districts: the Esposizione Universale Roma (EUR); the Torrino (further south from the EUR); the Magliana; the Parco de' Medici-Laurentina and the so-called Tiburtina-valley along the ancient Via Tiburtina.

Rome is one of the major educational centres of Europe. Roman children must attend school between the ages of 6 and 14, which takes them through junior high school. Along with the four state Universities, there also are a wealth of foreign academies and other institutions throughout the city. The First University of Rome (known as La Sapienza) was founded in 1303, and is Europe's largest university, with about 200,000 enrolled students.

Like most western European capitals, Rome has accumulated a substantial immigrant population. Estimates of non-Italian residents based on the 2001 census and on 2003 population register data range from just over 98,000 to almost 300,000 (or about 4 to 12% of the city's total population), with the largest numbers of foreigners coming from the Philippines, Romania, Poland, Peru, Egypt, China, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. [1]

Roman mythology constituted the major religion of the city in antiquity. However, other religions remained represented within its ever-changing boundaries, and Christianity soon spread.

During his reign, Constantine I legalized Christianity. However, it was Theodosius II who made it the official religion of the Roman Empire (contrary to popular belief of it being Constantine I), allowing a rapid spread of the religion which similarly continued to spread thereafter. After numerous barbarian incursions, Rome was established as the center of the Catholic Church. Consequently, a great number of some of the most important religious buildings of Christianity were erected in the city.

Across the river Tiber from the old Roman Forum and its centers of pre-Christian worship is the Vatican City, an autonomous country inside the city and the center of Catholicism. There are currently over 900 churches in Rome, including many world famous locations, housing a wide collection of masterpieces of religious art.

In Rome there is also the greatest mosque in Europe, designed by the Italian achitect Paolo Portoghesi and inaugurated on June 21st, 1995.

Rome has an intercontinental airport named Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport - FCO, but more commonly known as Fiumicino, which also is Italy's chief airport, and the Giovan-Battista Pastine international airport (commonly referred to as Ciampino Airport), a joint civilian and military airport southeast of the city-center, along the Via Appia, which handles mainly charter flights and regional European flights including some low-cost airlines. A third airport, called Aeroporto dell'Urbe, is located in the north of the city along the ancient Via Salaria and handles mainly helicopters and private flights. A fourth airport, called Aeroporto di Centocelle, in the eastern part of Rome between the Via Prenestina and the Via Casilina, has been abandoned for some years now, but is currently being redeveloped as one of the largest public parks in Rome.

A 2-line subway system operates in Rome called the "Metropolitana" or Rome Metro. Construction works for the first branch started in the 1930s. The line had been planned to quickly connect the main train station (Termini) with the newly planned E42 area in the southern suburbs, where the 1942 World Fair was supposed to be held. The event never took place because of war. The area was later partly redesigned and renamed EUR in the 1950s to serve as a modern business district. The line was finally opened in 1955 and it is now part of the B Line. The A line opened in 1980 from Ottaviano to Anagnina stations, later extended in stages (1999 - 2000) to Battistini. In the 1990s an extension of the B line was opened from Termini to Rebibbia. A new branch of the B line (B1) is under construction, as is a third line, called C. A fourth line, line D, is under development. The frequent archaeological findings delay underground work.

This underground network is generally reliable (although it may become very congested at peak times and during events, especially the A line) as it is relatively short. As of 2005, total length is 38 km. The two existing lines, A & B, only intersect at one point, Termini Station, the main train station in Rome (which also is the largest train station in Europe, underneath and around which now exists as a lively shopping center known as the "Forum Termini" with more than 100 shops of various types). Other stations includes: Tiburtina (second-largest, which is currently being redeveloped and enlarged to become the main high-speed train hub in the city), Ostiense, Trastevere, Tuscolana, S. Pietro, Casilina, Torricola.

The Rome Metro is part of an extensive transport network made of a tramway network, several suburban and urban lines in and around the city of Rome, plus an "express line" to Fiumicino Airport. Whereas most FS-Regionale lines (Regional State Railways) do provide mostly a suburban service with more than 20 stations scattered throughout the city, the Roma-Lido (starting at Ostiense station), the Roma-Pantano (starting nearby Termini) and the Roma-Nord (starting at Flaminio station) lines offer a metro-like service.

Rome also has a comprehensive bus and light rail system. The English web site of the ATAC public transportation company allows a route to be calculated using the buses, light rail and subways.[2] The Metrebus integrated fare system allows holders of tickets and integrated passes to travel on all companies vehicles, within the validity time of the ticket purchased.[3]

Chronic congestion caused by cars during the 1970s and 1980s led to the banning of unauthorized traffic from the central part of city during workdays from 6 am to 6 pm. This area is officially called Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL). Heavy traffic due to night-life crowds during weekends led in recent years to the creation of other ZTLs in the Trastevere and S. Lorenzo districts during the night, and to experimentation with a new night ZTL also in the city center (plans to create a night ZTL in the Testaccio district as well are underway). In recent years, parking spaces along the streets in wide areas of the city have been converted to pay parking, as new underground parking spread throughout the city. In spite of all these measures, traffic remains an unsolved problem, as in most of the world's cities.