Italy is a country in southern Europe. It is linked to the rest of the continent by the massif of the Alps. Italy makes a very important contribution to Western civilization: it is notably the cradle of Etruscan civilization, Magna Graecia, the Roman Empire, the Holy See, the maritime republics, humanism and the Renaissance. Existing as a unitary state since 1861 following the Risorgimento (Renaissance or Resurrection) led by the Kingdom of Sardinia, Italy has been a republic since the abolition by referendum of the Italian monarchy in 1946. It is a founding member of the European Union and the euro area. There are around 60 million Italians.