MONEY, WEIGIITS„1ND MEASURES. As a mem ber of the Latin Union, Italy has the same monetary system as France (so far as the stand ard of money and coinage is concerned. not the method of issuing paper money). The amount of fractional silver coinage to which Italy is entitled under the provisions of the Union has been fixed at about $40,000,000. The coins are the same in value, size, and fineness as those in France, except that the name lira ( plur. lire) is substituted for franc, and centesimo for cen time. The metric system applies to all weights and measures.
Italy ranks sixth among the countries of Europe with respect to population, coming after Franey. The following table shows the area and population by provinces in 1881 and l!ml.
The following list shows the increase of popula tion, during the nineteenth century, within the present territory of the Kingdom: 1816. 18,383,000 1848. 23,617,000 1861. 25,000,000 1871. 26,801,154 1881 28,459,628 1901 32,449,754 Thus there has been an increase of 4,000,000 people, or about 14 per cent., in twenty years. With respect to density of population, over 293 people per square mile, Italy ranks third among the countries of Continental Europe, coaling after Belgium and the Netherlands. In general, the
northern portion of Italy, extending as far south as Florence, is more densely populated than the remaining portions. The population is remark ably homogeneous, the number of distinctly non Italian inhabitants being small and concentrated in a few districts; as, for instance. the 80,000 people of French origin in the Province of Turin; 90,000 Albanians in Sicily and Southern Italy: 30.000 Greeks in Calabria and on the Adriatic coast: 30,000 Slays in Northeast. Italy. in the vicinity of the Austrian frontier: 11.300 Germans living mostly in the north, and some 10.000 Spanish in Sardinia.
The number of foreigners residing temporarily in Italy is very small—about 66.000 in 1901. Contrary to the experience of most European countries• there is a slight excess of males over females in Italy.
The following table includes all towns having a population of over 100,000 in 1901: