| abstract | - Rome is the nerve center of the most illustrious and powerful country in human history. Founded on April 21, 753 BC on the banks of the Tiber, it has a birth surrounded in legend. History's favored child, Rome has witnessed the rise and fall of countless empires from Egypt to China. Other cities may be greater in age but none has flourished as long as the Eternal City. The economic and military authorities of Rome were shared with Constantinople and Carthage in the 8th century for logistic reasons but there are no one doubts that Rome is the nation's prime city. Behind its walls live over 23 million Roman citizens, not one of foreign blood. The constitution itself permits "only people of Roman citizenship to set foot in Italy except under express permission from the Senate." This law applies equally to men, women and children. Earning its title of Caput Mundi, Rome has nurtured a global influence in politics, literature, high culture, fine arts, music, religion, education, fashion, cuisine and sports, putting it at the forefront of the world media. Elsewhere, Rome is called Urbs Caesares or the Eternal City, or simply the Capitol. Despite a worldly reputation, it houses very few international organizations - with the exception of an Alliance praetorium - due to its exclusion of non-citizens. However, the largest corporate guilds are based in Rome as a means of garnering national prestige. Revered for its beauty as a city, Rome has many of the most noteworthy examples of ancient architecture. Its skyline includes such wonders as the Senate, Trajan's Column, Arch of Constantine and the original Grand Colosseum and St. Peter's Cathedral. An earthquake in 851 CE forced the reconstruction of many of these monuments. Rome's most intricate modern buildings were constructed in the architectural heyday of Aulus Nickolus Tesla. Wherever one goes, Rome's legacy is ever immanent when walking its streets.
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