Rome (Italian: Roma) is the capital city of the Italian Republic.

For centuries, Rome has been called the Eternal City, a title earned through its importance as one of the great cities of Western civilization, as the capital of the Roman Empire, and as the world center of the Roman Catholic church. Since 1871, it has been the capital of united Italy.

A little over a century ago, Rome was a quiet city with a population (1870 estimate) of 226,000; its people were living largely in the past. It is today not only the capital and nerve center of Italy but, as the seat of the Roman Catholic church and the headquarters of major international agencies and multinational corporations, a city that has assumed a place of worldwide importance.

Vatican City, most of which is located in an enclave within Rome, is the seat of the papacy of the Roman Catholic church and has been recognized as an independent state by the Italian government since 1929. The majestic dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City dominates the Roman skyline.