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Rome, Italy
Rome, the capital of Italy, is one of the world's oldest cities
as well as one of the chief centres of European culture. With the
enclave of the Vatican City within its territory, Rome is also
the center of Roman Catholicism.
The city was founded during the eight century BC on an
important trade route between the Etruscans to the north and the
Greek colonies to the south. (Legend has it that originally it
was established by the twins, Romus and Romulus, who were raised
by a wolf). As the centre of a massive Roman Empire, Rome was
already a large city by the second century A.D. At its peak in
the 3rd century, Rome had a population of 2 million! Its fortuned
fluctuated with the times and its popualtion dropped in the
Middle Ages until the renaissance ushered in a new era of growth.
The city was chosen as the capital after the unification of
Italy in 1870. Rome has remained the political, administrative
and cultural center of Italy.
The major growth of Rome took place during the century
following reunification when the city became, in many ways, the
capital of Europe. Its population of 213,633 in 1871 had reached
2.9 million in 1995.
Like other large cities, the inner city deteriorated
somewhat but most city residents who fled this deterioration did
not completely sever their ties with Rome. Rather, they commuted
to their jobs and took advantage of the many cultural and social
opportunities offered by the city.
The economy of Rome is characterized by the absence of heavy
industry, but commercial activities especially banking and the
development of tourism are extremely important to its economy.
Universities, national radio and television and the movie
industry in Rome are also important parts of the economy. A
phenomenon particular to Rome is the widespread incidence of
double employment, people working two jobs.
Traffic congestion and air pollution are major problems. The
vibrations from traffic and the pollution are endangering the
city's fragile historic sites. The level of carbon monoxide in
the air has reached dangerous levels and on occasion has led to
emergency situations.
Despite these problems, population has not been a serious
problem in Rome. Many areas, in fact, have low density. The
problem has been with expansion of the city to unpredictable
parts of the surrounding areas. This has meant that the
infrastructure and services for people moving into those areas
has been inadequate.
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