Geography of Italy

The geography of Italy describes all the natural features of Italy. Italy is located in southern Europe and has a shape like a long boot. It includes the Italian Peninsula, crossed by the Apennines mountains, the southern part of the Alps, the wide plain of the Po Valley, and several islands such as Sicily and Sardinia.

Italy's total area is 301,230 km² (116,310 sq mi), with most of it being land and a small part being water. It lies between latitudes 35° and 47° N, and longitudes 6° and 19° E. Italy shares borders with Switzerland, France, Austria, and Slovenia, and also includes the small enclaves of San Marino and Vatican City. The country's coastline stretches for 7,900 km (4,900 mi) along several seas, including the Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, and Tyrrhenian Sea.

General features

Italy is connected to the central-western part of the European continent by the Alps. Because of this, it acts like a bridge between Europe and Africa. The Italian peninsula lies in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, between the Balkans and Hellenic peninsula to the east, the Iberian peninsula to the west, North Africa to the south, and continental Europe to the north, separated by the Alps.

Italy also separates the western part of the Mediterranean Sea from the eastern part — that is, the Tyrrhenian Sea from the Ionian Sea — stretching out to the west with Calabria and Sicily, which together form a peninsula. Only about 140 km (87 miles) separate Sicily from Africa, across the channel of Sicily.

To the east, Salento is about 70 km (43 miles) from the Albanian coast at the narrowest point of the Strait of Otranto. The farthest point east is Capo d'Otranto (also called Punta Palascìa), located at 40° 7' north latitude and 18° 31' east longitude. North of Salento lies the long, narrow inlet of the Adriatic Sea.

The islands of Sardinia and Corsica separate the Tyrrhenian Sea from the Sardinian Sea.

The coastline of the Italian peninsula and its islands is very long — about 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles), much longer than the Iberian peninsula but shorter than the Balkans.

Italy has more hilly areas (41.6% of the land) than mountainous areas (35.2%) or flat areas (23.2%).

The land in Italy today has been changed by people and is partly mountainous, partly hilly, partly volcanic, and partly flat with bumps and islands, made dry by draining water (like Bonifiche Circeo, Ferraresi, Comacchio, Ostiense, Pisana and others) and with higher embankments (for example, taking out 1.7 billion cubic meters of fresh water each year from 20 groups in Veneto alone).

No place where people live in Italy is more than 294 km (183 miles) from the sea, and the place in Italy farthest from the sea is Madesimo in the province of Sondrio, which is 294 km (183 miles) from the Ligurian Sea.

Boundaries

Italy shares borders with Switzerland (698 km or 434 miles), France (476 km or 296 miles), Austria (404 km or 251 miles) and Slovenia (218 km or 135 miles). San Marino (37 km or 23 miles) and Vatican City (3.4 km or 2.1 miles) are small countries inside Italy. The total length of all borders is 1,836.4 km (1,141.1 miles). With its islands, Italy has a coastline of 7,900 km (4,900 miles) along the Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, Sea of Sardinia and Strait of Sicily.

Latitude and longitude

• Northernmost point — Testa Gemella Occidentale, Prettau (Predoi), South Tyrol at 47°5′N 12°11′E / 47.083°N 12.183°E / 47.083; 12.183 (North: Testa Gemella Occidentale)
• Southernmost point — Punta Pesce Spada, Lampedusa, Sicily at 35°29′N 12°36′E / 35.483°N 12.600°E / 35.483; 12.600 (South: Lampedusa) (all of Italy); Capo Spartivento, Palizzi, Calabria at 37°55′N 15°59′E / 37.917°N 15.983°E / 37.917; 15.983 (South: Capo Spartivento) (mainland)
• Westernmost point — Rocca Bernauda, Bardonecchia, Piedmont at 45°6′N 6°37′E / 45.100°N 6.617°E / 45.100; 6.617 (West: Rocca Bernauda)
• Easternmost point — Capo d'Otranto, Otranto, Apulia at 40°6′N 18°31′E / 40.100°N 18.517°E / 40.100; 18.517 (East: Capo d'Otranto)

The distance between the northernmost and southernmost points of Italy is 1,291 km (802 miles); the greatest distance between the eastern and western borders is about 600 km (370 miles). The towns at the ends of Italy are:

• Predoi, the northernmost town
• Lampedusa e Linosa, the southernmost town
• Otranto, the easternmost town
• Bardonecchia, the westernmost town

Elevation

• Highest point: Mont Blanc (Aosta Valley) 4,810.90 metres (15,783.8 ft) at 45°50′N 6°51′E / 45.833°N 6.850°E / 45.833; 6.850 (Mont Blanc (highest))
• Lowest point: Jolanda di Savoia (province of Ferrara) −3.44 metres (−11.3 ft) at 44°53′N 11°59′E / 44.883°N 11.983°E / 44.883; 11.983 (Le Contane (lowest))
• Highest settlement: Trepalle, Livigno 2,209 metres (7,247 ft) at 46°32′N 10°11′E / 46.533°N 10.183°E / 46.533; 10.183 (Trepalle)

Maritime claims

• Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
• Continental shelf: 200-metre depth (660 ft) or to the depth of exploitation
• Exclusive Economic Zone: 541,915 km² (209,235 mi²)

Geographical centre

Even though the Istituto Geografico Militare in Florence has said many times that it is impossible to find one exact center for a shape like Italy, there are several places that, depending on how you measure, could be the geographical centre of Italy:

• Monteluco (province of Perugia);
• Narni (province of Terni);
• Orvieto (province of Terni);
• Rieti (province of Rieti).

Land use

Italy's land is used in different ways. Most of it is for farming, about half of the land. Forests cover a big part too, almost like the farming land. Only a small bit is for cities and factories, and there’s also some land that is wet or has water like lakes.

There is a lot of land that can be watered for crops, and Italy has plenty of fresh water that people can use every year for drinking, industries, and farming too.

Divisions

Further information: Italy (geographical region)

The Italian geographical region covers about 324,000 square kilometres, which is larger than the Italian Republic. This area includes parts of Croatia, France, Slovenia, and Switzerland. It also includes four small independent states: the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of San Marino, and the Vatican City State (the Holy See). Both Italy and the Italian geographical region are divided into three main parts.

Continental Italy

Further information: Northern Italy

Continental Italy includes the area south of the Alps, the Po Valley, Liguria, and part of the Apennines. Some areas like the region of Nice and parts of Julian March are part of the Italian geographical region but not the Italian Republic.

Peninsular Italy

Further information: Central Italy, Southern Italy, and Italian peninsula

Peninsular Italy is the southern part of the Italian geographical region, stretching up to Punta Melito in Calabria and Santa Maria di Leuca in Apulia. The Italian peninsula lies in the middle of southern Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea, and includes large islands and archipelagos.

Insular Italy

Further information: Insular Italy and List of islands of Italy

Insular Italy consists of Sardinia, Sicily, and many smaller islands in the seas around the peninsula. Corsica belongs to France but is part of the Italian geographical region.

The largest islands belonging to Italy are:

• Sicily
• Sardinia
• Elba
• Sant'Antioco
• Pantelleria

Other islands are grouped into archipelagos such as the Tuscan archipelago, the Phlegraean Islands, the Pontine Islands, the Aeolian Islands, the Aegadian Islands, the Pelagian Islands, and many more.

Orography

Mountains

Almost 40% of Italy is covered in mountains. The Alps form a natural border along the northern edge of the country, while the Apennine Mountains run down the middle of the Italian Peninsula like its spine. These mountains stretch for about 1,350 kilometers. The highest mountain in the European Union is Mont Blanc, which stands at 4,810 meters tall and sits between France and the Aosta Valley.

The Apennines begin south of the Po Valley and continue all the way down the peninsula to Sicily. Some of Italy's most famous peaks, like Monte Rosa and Monte Cervino, are found in the western Alps.

Hills

Hills cover much of Italy, especially in the central and southern parts of the peninsula. These hills are not very steep and usually don't rise higher than 800 meters. Some famous hilly areas include the Langhe and Murghe, which are formed from old seabeds pushed up over time.

Plains

Plains make up about 23% of Italy. The largest plain is the Po Valley, which stretches for 652 kilometers from the Cottian Alps to the Adriatic Sea. This wide flat area is very important for farming. Smaller plains can also be found near coastlines and rivers all over Italy.

Hydrography

Italy is surrounded by the sea except to the north, and it has many rivers and lakes. The southern parts of Italy get less rain and have fewer rivers because there are no glaciers to feed them.

Rivers

Italian rivers are shorter than those in other parts of Europe because the Apennine Mountains run down the middle of the country, splitting the water into two directions. But there are many rivers because Italy gets a lot of rain and has the Alps in the north, which are full of snow and ice.

The main rivers flow into different seas. The longest river is the Po, which runs through the Po Valley and empties into the Adriatic Sea. Other important rivers include the Adige, which also flows into the Adriatic Sea, and the Tiber, which flows through Rome and into the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Lakes

Italy has more than 1,000 lakes, many of which were created by dams built across river valleys.

In the north, there are famous lakes like Garda, Maggiore, and Como, which were formed in valleys shaped by ancient glaciers. There are also coastal lakes, like Lesina, and volcanic lakes, like Bolsena and Bracciano, which sit in old volcano craters. Other lakes include Trasimeno, Varano, and Omodeo.

Seas and coasts

The Italian peninsula is in the Mediterranean Sea, which is divided into several smaller seas. The Ligurian Sea is along the northwest coast, the Tyrrhenian Sea along the west, the Adriatic Sea along the east, and the Ionian Sea along the southeast.

Italy has a very long coastline of about 7,900 kilometers. The Adriatic coast is mostly straight and sandy, while the Tyrrhenian coast has many rocky areas and beautiful beaches. The Ionian coast is also sandy and includes the wide Gulf of Taranto. The Strait of Messina connects the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas.

Geology

Main article: Geology of Italy

Italy's land is shaped by forces deep underground that still act today. These forces created the mountains and hills we see now and still cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The country sits between two large pieces of Earth's crust, called plates, which move and push against each other. This makes Italy prone to earthquakes, especially in certain areas like the north and south-west of Sicily, the Apennines, and parts of northern Apulia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Veneto. Places like the Alps, most of the Po Valley, and parts of Sardinia experience fewer earthquakes.

Italy is also home to many volcanoes. The most famous are Vesuvius near Naples and Etna near Catania, which is the highest volcano in Europe. Other active volcanoes include Stromboli and Vulcano in the Aeolian Islands. There are also many extinct volcanoes, like the Euganean Hills and Mount Amiata. Some islands in the south, such as Capraia, Ponza, Ischia, Ustica, and Pantelleria, were formed by volcanic activity.