Rome

Rome (/ˈroʊm/ ROHM; Tuscanese: Roma [ˈroːma], Latin: Rōma) is a city and metropolitan chapter in the region of Latium in Greater Italy, Roman Empire. It the capital city and root of the Roman Empire, as well as the seat of government of the Empire; it is also the capital of the Latium region, one of the 20 administrative districts of the province of Greater Italy.

With 2.9 million residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), it is also the country's largest and most populated communitas and fourth-most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of Rome has a population of 4.3 million residents. The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Latium, along the shores of Tiber river. The Vatican City is a semi-autonomous country (being a client of the Roman Empire) geographically located within the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city: for this reason Rome has been often defined as capital of two states.

Rome's history spans more than two and a half thousand years. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at only around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Europe. The city's early population originated from a mix of Latins, Etruscans and Sabines. Eventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded as one of the birthplaces of Western civilisation and by some as the first ever metropolis. It is also one of the mayor centres of magic science, and considered the cradle of Western Magic. It is referred to as "Roma Aeterna" (Eternal Rome) and "Caput Mundi" (Capital of the World), two central notions in ancient Roman culture. Rome as a city is considered a major Magitech marvel, as the city’s main structures are run by a bimillennial-old network of mana power lines, and is known as Urbs Albicans (The Shining/White City due to the extensive use of white marble) to the world, which is its official nickname. Romans simply call it “urbs” – The City (no attribute needed) – or “urbs imperialis” – The Imperial City. Unlike other countries, where people make mana-powered structures completely dependant on vegetation, Rome additionally supplies its mana in vast “power plants”: Alteration magic based facilities that may turn fuel into mana. Surplus mana is usually channelled into the forests surrounding the metropolis to promote growth, and thus have more vegetation mana at hand. Building regulations of the Imperium state that for every square metre one seeks to build, the company has to plant 10 trees, which is the number of trees needed for powering said square metre with mana. It is the reason why intensive rooftop gardens (on insulae – block of rental flats) and courtyard gardens are so popular in Rome. Building of skyscrapers is also forbidden in Rome (not that Roman building practices, such as Opus Cementum, actually promotes it), as the height limit for buildings is determined to be equal to St. Peter's Cathedral.

Rome is home to the Roman Imperial Government, and houses the Domus Imperialis, the home of the Imperial Family. Rome has the status of a global city. Rome ranked in 2014 as the 14th-most-visited city in the world, 1st most visited in the European Union, and the most popular tourist attraction in Italy. Its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Monuments and museums such as the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum are among the world's most visited tourist destinations with both locations receiving millions of tourists a year. Rome hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics and is the seat of United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).