Introduction
Rome is the capital city of Italy and the most populated city in Italy. Its population is approximately 3,300,000. The city is located in the middle of the Italian Peninsula along the Tiber River. It has been one of the most developed cities in Italy hosting most of the past rulers of Italy. It is significant to most Christians bearing in mind that it is the home for the Roman Catholic Church as well as the place where Vatican City is situated. Today Rome is contemporary and international being the third city that is mostly visited by tourists in Europe. It has varied political and cultural significance. Fiumicino international airport, found in this city is the largest in Italy. The city also hosts numerous offices for various Italian industries and three head offices for international companies. It is one of the European cities that were not adversely affected by the Second World War. The city remains basically regenerative and decorative in nature. Various factors, among them, economic, political, technological and sociological changes make this city a significant element in a world wide system of urban places (World Visit Guide, 2009, Par. 1&2).
Economic growth in Rome
After the Second World War, its economic growth rate started overtaking that of other cities such as Milan and Naples. One of the major contributing factors to its growth was tourism. Rome is the home of various heritages such as the Vatican museum and Musei Capitolini which sees a lot of tourists visiting them every year. Tourism has been an increasing source of income for local population within the Roman city. Cultural heritages form the major tourist attraction in the city. This has been facilitated by the advent of globalization. Many people from other cities and countries has learnt about the various tourist attraction cites in Rome making them travel there to enjoy these rare opportunities. Tourism has become a major economic sector leading to increased development of the Rome city. Availability of vast hotels providing varying services at different charges has also attracted many tourists as they can readily get a hospitable place that equates to their economic status. The city has been divided into different districts thus allowing the visitors have a variety of places to visit depending with their preference. Many stunning buildings found in the Vatican City leave every person yearning to visit Rome. Some of these include the Sistine Chapel which has wide ceiling containing the creation story and St. Peter’s Basilica which was build over 1,500 years ago (World Visit Guide, 2009, Par. 5).
Currently, Rome is one of the Italian cities with vibrant economic growth. It has diverse economy which is made up of service sectors, communication and technologies. The city is said to produce up to 6.7% of the Italy’s gross domestic production. Its growth rate has been found to be at +4.4% per year which is the highest in comparison to other Italian cities. Its economic growth continues to appreciate at a very high rate. The city hosts various universities, national televisions and radios which also contribute to its economic growth. The city is a center for numerous insurance and banking institutions. Energy and electronic industries form part of the elements that contributes to the economy of this city by not only levying tax but also providing employment to the huge population within the city. There are other international companies that are situated within the city as well as head offices for various agencies (World Visit Guide, 2009, Par. 6-8).
In 2000, Rome enjoyed one of its best moments as it celebrated the jubilee year. In addition to many tourists visiting the city that year, it saw many catholic believers visiting its museums. Most of its services were improved introducing it to the glare of publicity as one of the wonderful cities in the world. With the city being aware of the value of tourism to its economy, it has embarked on improving most of its infrastructures and services. It is now easy for anybody to visit this city making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. At present, Rome is one of the fascinating cities to visit though it does not lack few problems such as traffic. However, people have been used to it receiving many visitors who cause the traffic. Maintaining its cultural heritages and keeping at par with the changing world has not been easy to the people of Rome. As a result, the government has been channeling most of its finance to projects aimed at preserving these heritages. This has been one of the secrets that have lead to its success (Rome tourist Guide, 2007, Par. 6-8).
Willingness of the Romans in consuming products produced within the city does not only act as source of finance to the city but also helps in maintaining the city’s legacy. They attach a lot of value to everything that comes from their city. They help in maintaining the city by participating in road development, renovation of monuments as well as cleaning the city. Rome is situated in cite where it greatly enjoys the Mediterranean climate. This makes its climate favorable throughout the year making it possible for more people to visit it. There are also various film industries within Rome which contributes to its economic growth. Banking and aerospace industries also make some of the sources of finance that facilitates in its growth and development. Industries in Rome are categorized as either medium or light. These industries include printing, chemical industries, electronics and food processing. Their main economic activity is commercial production and trading in industrial metals. The industries are further classified as either primary, secondary or tertiary. Primary industries mainly deal with agricultural products and mining while secondary industries deal with production of metal. The climatic condition of the areas around the city is favorable for farming. The soil is fertile thus leading to plenteous produce. This has ensured that there are always readily available raw materials for various industries that deal with agricultural products within the city (World Guide to Rome, 2009, Par. 4-6).
Rome’s population
During the reign of Emperor Augustus, it was one of the most populated cities in the world. It was also the most built city. Its population ranges between 450,000 to over 3.5 million. After the overthrow of emperor, Roman population went down to almost 50, 000 as many people moved to suburbs. This continued up to the dawn of the revitalization period. Its economic growth after the Second World War greatly facilitate in the population growth of the city. Many people moved to the city in search for work in the numerous industries and businesses that were emerging. The Romans were also skilled constructors and as a result, there was emergence of numerous suburbs around the city leading to its population growth. In 2007, the city population was estimated to be at 2.7 million with 47.2% of this comprising of men. !7% and 20.76% of the population was made of children and pensioners respectively. The large population of working group in Rome provides workforce to most of the industries situated in the city. Consequently, the living standard of this population is high compared to other cities making It more superior with respect to other cities of the world. The residents also act as a ready market to most of the products produced by industries within the city. This has helped the city to grow tremendously without having to rely on markets from outside (World Visit Guide, 2009, Par. 9).
Technological development in Rome
One of the technological advancement that makes Rome popular is its knowledge in engineering. In the ancient time, this technology helped in its civilization as well as in strengthening its military. However, most of its technology was lost during the Second World War. With time, it has regained some of its early technologies and also invented other technologies. Another achievement in technology that made Rome come to the glare of the public was the development of aqueducts. Romans built these aqueducts out of stones, bricks and unique cement gotten from volcanic materials. This helped in improving the drainage of the city as well as reducing various diseases that resulted from poor drainage (UNRV History, 2009, Par. 4-7). Huge reservoirs were also built that could collect all the water that was being drained through these aqueducts. This helped in supplying the city with water. The water was used in fountains that acted as one of the major sources of tourist attraction. It was not possible to maintain these reservoirs were it not for the good organization among the citizens of Rome. They came up with a program where every person had to contribute some money towards paying those people who were employed to look after the reservoirs.
Romans are good in Road construction. In the past, they built numerous roads to facilitate in their soldiers being able to guard the city. It was also aimed at helping them collect revenues from the people that were used in building the city. Once they constructed the road, they could hollow out trenches to facilitate in drainage. This ensured that their roads were passable during the rainy seasons. This technology did not stop there, currently; Rome is one of the cities that are well fed with roads. Today, it is in the hub of radial system of roads which has replaced the early roads. Due to its strategic location, it also acts as a railway terminal for central Italy. The terminal acts as one of the busiest terminals in Europe. This facilitates in the mobility around the town. Its accessibility is seen to be one of the factors that help in the influx of tourists to the city throughout the year. Transportation of processed goods to the market as well as raw materials to industries has also been made possible by these roads leading to the proliferation of various industries within the city. Consequently, it has lead to improvement of the living standard of people within the city. Growth of numerous industries within the city has also lead to many people moving to the city to supply the industries with labor force. This has lead to Rome being one of the most populated cities in the world (Brohi, 2006, PP. 249-252).
Social and political changes
The termination of the second world war lead to great changes in social, political and city life among the people who lived in Rome. Some of these changes were detrimental to their lives. In 1950s, the city was controlled by political corruption. In 1976, the Romans were lured to embrace communism. This was not received well by most of the developed countries. Politically driven crimes and control of the mafia also weakened Rome’s political and social climate for a long time. The situation was later contained through the help of a section of the judges who decided to restore order in the city. Many businessmen, politicians and judges were investigated and detained leading to restoration of order (Rome tourist Guide, 2007, Par.1). Currently, the city makes one of the 8,101 Italy’s communes not to mention being the biggest both in size and population. Communes are fundamental managerial divisions from both the province and region. They are equivalent to municipalities or townships. They are responsible for providing basic services to the public such as birth and death registration and roads and public works allocation. The commune of Rome is governed by a Mayor who is assisted by a city council. The city is further divided into 19 administrative regions known as municipalities. These were created to enable distribution of power within the city. It has lead to Rome being one of the most secure cities to visit in the world. Its Conducive environment and guaranteed security has lead to many visitors willing to visit the city.
Conclusion
Rome is the capital city of Italy and headquarters of Italian government. The executive abodes for the Italian president and the prime minister are also found in this city. It huge and industrious population has lead to it being one of the most developed cities in the world.
Reference
Brohi, M. N. (2006). Technology as A Global Pillar and Its Main Features in Greek- Rome Age. Asian Journal of Information Technology 5(3), 247-252.
Rome tourist Guide. (2007). Modern Rome. Web.
UNRV History. (2009). Roman Aqueducts. Web.
World Visit Guide. (2009). Rome. Web.
World Guide to Rome. (2009). Rome Information and Rome Tourism. Web.