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Rome (Latin and Italian Roma [ˈroːma]), is the capital city and a special comune of Italy (named Comune di Roma Capitale)Rome also serves as the capital of the Lazio regionWith 2,879,728 residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), it is also the country's most populated comuneIt is the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limitsIt is the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, which has a population of 4,355,725 residents, thus making it the second or third most populous metropolitan city in Italy depending on definition.

Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the TiberVatican City (the smallest country in the world) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city; for this reason Rome has sometimes been defined as the capital of two states.Rome's history spans 28 centuriesWhile Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in EuropeThe city's early population originated from a mix of Latins, Etruscans, and SabinesEventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded by many as the first ever Imperial City and metropolis.

It was first called The Eternal City (Latin: Urbs Aeterna; Italian: La Città Eterna) by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC, and the expression was also taken up by Ovid, Virgil, and LivyRome is also called "Caput Mundi" (Capital of the World)After the fall of the Empire in the west, which marked the beginning of the Middle Ages, Rome slowly fell under the political control of the Papacy, and in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870Beginning with the Renaissance, almost all popes since Nicholas V (1447–1455) pursued a coherent architectural and urban programme over four hundred years, aimed at making the city the artistic and cultural centre of the worldIn this way, Rome became first one of the major centres of the Italian Renaissance, and then the birthplace of both the Baroque style and Neoclassicism.

Famous artists, painters, sculptors and architects made Rome the centre of their activity, creating masterpieces throughout the cityIn 1871, Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, which, in 1946, became the Italian Republic. As of 2020, Rome is ranked as an Alpha global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research NetworkIn 2019, Rome was the 11th most visited city in the world, third most visited in the European Union, and the most popular tourist destination in ItalyIts historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site Host city for the 1960 Summer Olympics, Rome is also the seat of several specialized agencies of the United Nations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).