 | |
| Continent | Europe andAfrica (Lampedusa and Lampione islands) |
|---|---|
| Region | South Europe |
| Coordinates | 42°00′N12°05′E / 42.000°N 12.083°E /42.000; 12.083 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 301,230 km2 (116,310 sq mi) |
| • Land | 97.61% |
| • Water | 2.39% |
| Coastline | 7,900 km (4,900 mi) |
| Borders | Total land borders 1,836.4 km (1,141.1 mi) |
| Highest point | Mont Blanc 4,810 m (15,780 ft) |
| Lowest point | Jolanda di Savoia −3.44 m (−11.3 ft) |
| Longest river | Po 652 km (405 mi) |
| Largest lake | Garda 370 km2 (140 sq mi) |
| Exclusive economic zone | 541,915 km2 (209,235 sq mi) |
Thegeography of Italy includes the description of all thephysical geographical elements ofItaly. Italy, whose territory largely coincides with thehomonymous geographical region,[1] is located in southernEurope and comprises the long, boot-shapedItalian Peninsula crossed by theApennines, the southern side ofAlps, the large plain of thePo Valley and some islands includingSicily andSardinia. Italy is part of theNorthern Hemisphere. Two of thePelagie Islands (Lampedusa and Lampione) are located on the African continent.
The total area of Italy is 301,230 km2 (116,310 sq mi), of which 294,020 km2 (113,520 sq mi) is land and 7,210 km2 (2,784 sq mi) is water. It lies between latitudes35° and47° N, and longitudes6° and19° E. Italy bordersSwitzerland (698 km or 434 mi),France (476 km or 296 mi),Austria (404 km or 251 mi) andSlovenia (218 km or 135 mi).San Marino (37 km or 23 mi) andVatican City (3.4 km or 2.1 mi) areenclaves. The total border length is 1,836.4 km (1,141.1 mi). Including islands, Italy has a coastline of 7,900 km (4,900 mi) on theAdriatic Sea,Ionian Sea,Tyrrhenian Sea,Ligurian Sea,Sea of Sardinia andStrait of Sicily.
TheItalian geographical region,[2][3] in its traditional and most widely accepted extent, has an area of approximately 324,000 square kilometres (125,000 sq mi),[2] which is greater than the area of the entireItalian Republic (301,230 square kilometres or 116,310 square miles). The Italian geographical region also includes territories that are sovereign parts ofCroatia,France,Slovenia andSwitzerland, as well as the four small independent states of thePrincipality of Monaco, theRepublic of Malta, theRepublic of San Marino and theVatican City State (theHoly See).[4]
Italy is joined to the central-western section of theEuropean continent by theAlps. Due to its position, it constitutes a bridge betweenEurope andAfrica. In particular, theItalian peninsula is located in the center of theMediterranean Sea, between theBalkans andHellenic peninsula to the east, theIberian peninsula to the west,North Africa to the south andcontinental Europe to the north separated by the Alps.
Italy also separates the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea from the eastern basin — that is, theTyrrhenian Sea from theIonian Sea — extending towards the west withCalabria andSicily, which together geologically form a peninsular extension. Only 140 km (87 mi) separate Sicily and Africa (theTunisian peninsula), by thechannel of Sicily.[5]
To the east,Salento is 70 km (43 mi) from theAlbanian coast,[6] at the narrowest point of theStrait of Otranto. It isCapo d'Otranto (also calledPunta Palascìa), located at 40° 7' northlatitude and 18° 31' eastlongitude. To the north of Salento lies the long and narrow inlet of theAdriatic Sea.
The islands ofSardinia andCorsica then divide the Tyrrhenian Sea from theSardinian Sea.
The coastal development of the Italian peninsula and islands is vast; about 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi),[7][8] which is much larger than that of the Iberian peninsula, but much less than that of the Balkans.
Italy has a prevalence of hilly areas (41.6% of the territory) compared to mountainous areas (35.2% of the territory), or flat areas (23.2%).[9]
The Italian soil today is the result ofanthropization and is partly mountainous, partly hilly, partly volcanic, partly endolagunar with bumps, polesine, islands, dried up by reclamation (Bonifiche Circeo, Ferraresi, Comacchio, Ostiense, Pisana and so on) with ever greater raising of embankments (for example the withdrawal of 1.7 billion cubic meters per year of fresh water, from 20 consortia fromVeneto alone).
No inhabited center in Italy is more than 294 km (183 mi) from the sea and theItalian municipality farthest from the sea isMadesimo (province of Sondrio) which is 294 km (183 mi) from theLigurian Sea.[10]
Italy bordersSwitzerland (698 km or 434 mi),France (476 km or 296 mi),Austria (404 km or 251 mi) andSlovenia (218 km or 135 mi).San Marino (37 km or 23 mi) andVatican City (3.4 km or 2.1 mi) areenclaves. The total border length is 1,836.4 km (1,141.1 mi). Including islands, Italy has a coastline of 7,900 km (4,900 mi) on theAdriatic Sea,Ionian Sea,Tyrrhenian Sea,Ligurian Sea,Sea of Sardinia andStrait of Sicily.
The distance that separates the Testa Gemella Occidentale from Punta Pesce Spada is 1,291 km (802 mi); the maximum distance between the eastern and western borders is about 600 km (370 mi). The municipalities at the ends of Italy are:
Although theIstituto Geografico Militare ofFlorence has repeatedly declared that it is impossible to uniquely determine the center of a non-geometric shape such as that of Italy,[11] there are several locations that, depending on the measurement criteria adopted, compete for the primacy of thegeographical centre of Italy:
TheItalian geographical region,[2] in its traditional and most widely accepted extent, has an area of approximately 324,000 square kilometres (125,000 sq mi),[2] which is greater than the area of the entireItalian Republic (301,230 square kilometres or 116,310 square miles). The Italian geographical region also includes territories that are sovereign parts ofCroatia,France,Slovenia andSwitzerland, as well as the four small independent states of thePrincipality of Monaco, theRepublic of Malta, theRepublic of San Marino and theVatican City State (theHoly See).[4] Italy and the Italian geographical region are both divided into three parts, albeit with some differences.
Continental Italy defined as the southern side of theAlps, thePo Valley,Liguria and the portion of theApennines bounded by the conventional line that connectsLa Spezia toRimini.[16] The region ofNice (corresponding to the historicCounty of Nice),Italian Switzerland, part ofJulian March and other less extensive portions of territory such asValle Stretta,Gondo andVal Monastero, are not part of the Italian Republic in its continental part but they are part of the Italian geographical region. Conversely, theVal di Lei, theVal di Livigno, theSan Candido basin, theRio Sesto valley and theTarvisio basin, although part of the Italian Republic, are not included in the Italian geographical region.
Peninsular Italy refers to the entire southern part of the aforementioned line, up toPunta Melito inCalabria (which is the southernmost point of the peninsula) andSanta Maria di Leuca inApulia.San Marino and theVatican City are foreign territories, although included in the Italian geographical region.
TheItalian peninsula occupies a median position between the three main peninsulas ofsouthern Europe, emerging right in the center of theMediterranean Sea, with large islands and some archipelagos.
Insular Italy is made up ofSardinia,Sicily and numerous smaller islands, scattered or grouped intoarchipelagos in the seas that bathe the coasts of the peninsula.Corsica is not politically included in insular Italy since it belongs toFrance, however, it is included in the Italian geographical region.
The five largest islands belonging to the Italian state are, in order of size:
Other islands belonging to Italy are grouped into the following archipelagos:
Almost 40% of the Italian territory is mountainous,[17] with theAlps as the northern boundary and theApennine Mountains forming the backbone of the peninsula and extending for 1,350 km (840 mi).[17] The Alpine mountain range is linked with the Apennines with theColle di Cadibona pass in theLigurian Alps.[18] NineteenItalian regions are crossed by either the Alps or the Apennines, or their offshoots.Sardinia has mountains with their own characteristics and are included in the Sardinian-Corsican relief, since it also affectsCorsica.
The Alps (formed during theMesozoic andCenozoic)[19] surround the Po Valley to the north, east and west, and develop along the entire northern border of Italy (about 1,000 km or 620 mi), creating a natural border. The Alps contain the highest peak in theEuropean Union,Mont Blanc, at 4,810 meters (15,780 ft)above sea level, located between theAosta Valley andFrance.
The Apennines (formed during theOligocene)[20] rise south of the Po Valley and run from north to south throughout the Italian peninsula, fromLiguria toCalabria and continue in northernSicily ending in theMadonie, acting as a watershed between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic-Ionian coast.
The highest peaks in Italy are found in theWestern Alps, where there are numerous peaks that exceed 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) includingMonte Rosa (4,634 meters or 15,203 feet), theCervino (4,478 meters or 14,692 feet) and Mont Blanc which with its 4,810 meters (15,780 ft). The maximum height of the Apennines is theGran Sasso d'Italia (2,912 meters or 9,554 feet).
Famous mountains in Italy are Monte Cervino (Matterhorn),Monte Rosa,Gran Paradiso in the West Alps, andBernina,Stelvio andDolomites along the eastern side of the Alps.
The hills cover most of the Italian territory. They are mainly located in the central-southern part of the peninsula,[21] along the sides of the Apennine ridge, but also in the pre-Alpine area, close to the Alps.[21]
The hilly reliefs, which alternate with hollows and valleys, have slight slopes and do not exceed 800 meters or 2,600 feet.
The first two hilly systems are the subalpine hills and the Preappennino, two hilly strips arranged between the Alps and the Po Valley and between the Apennines and the Adriatic coast respectively.[22] The subalpine hills widen more in the western part of the Po Valley, where they form the hills of theLanghe andMontferrat.[22] Two other hill systems are the Tyrrhenian Anti-Apennine, which extends from theColline Metallifere of Tuscany toVesuvius and the Beneventane Hills in Campania, and the Adriatic Anti-Apennine, present in Puglia with theMurge andGargano hills.[22]
The Italian hills have different origins:
The plains make up 23.2% of the Italian national territory. In between the two lies alarge plain in the valley of thePo, the largest river in Italy, which flows 652 km (405 mi) eastward from theCottian Alps to the Adriatic. The Po Valley is the largest plain in Italy, with 46,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi), and it represents over 70% of the total plain area in the country.[17] The Po Valley is divided into two bands:[22] the high plain, which borders the Alpine and Apennine hills, and the low plain located in the center and extended up to the Po delta.
In the peninsular part and in the islands there are only small plains often located along the coasts and at the mouth of the major rivers, near which they formed:[22] this is the case, for example, of theTavoliere delle Puglie, of theCampidano in Sardinia or theMaremma in Tuscany.[22]
The Italian plains have different origins:
Italy is surrounded, except to the north, by the sea, and its territory has a rich reserve of inland waters (rivers and lakes). The southern regions, however, are drier than the northern ones, due to the scarcity of rains and the absence of glaciers that can feed the rivers.
Italianrivers are shorter than those of other European regions due to the Apennines that run along the entire length of the peninsula, dividing the waters into two opposite sides. They are numerous however, due to the relative abundance of rains in Italy in general, and to the presence of the Alpine chain, rich in snowfields and glaciers, in northern Italy.
The fundamentalwatershed follows the ridge of the Alps and the Apennines and defines five main slopes, corresponding to the seas into which the rivers flow: the Adriatic, Ionic, Tyrrhenian, Ligurian and Mediterranean sides.[24] Italian rivers are categorized into two main groups: the Alpine-Po river rivers and the Apennine-island rivers.[24]
The longest Italian river is thePo (652 km or 405 mi), which flows from theMonviso, runs through the entirePo Valley from west to east, and then flows, with adelta, into theAdriatic Sea. In addition to being the longest, it is also the river with the largest basin and the largest flow at its mouth. The second longest Italian river is theAdige (410 km or 250 mi), which originates nearLake Resia and flows into the Adriatic Sea, after having made a north–south route, nearChioggia. The third longest river in Italy is theTiber (405 km or 252 mi), the second longest Italian river in terms of hydrographic basin; it was formed onMonte Fumaiolo (inEmilia-Romagna) and flows into theTyrrhenian Sea after having crossed the center ofRome. After the Tiber, in order of length are the riversAdda (313 km or 194 mi),Oglio (280 km or 170 mi),Tanaro (276 km or 171 mi) andTicino (248 km (154 mi), of which 157 km (98 mi) is in Italy).
Most of Italy's rivers drain either into the Adriatic Sea (such as Po,Piave,Adige,Brenta,Tagliamento,Reno) or into the Tyrrhenian (likeArno,Tiber andVolturno), though the waters from some border municipalities drain into theBlack Sea through the basin of theDrava (Innichen andSexten inTrentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol,Tarvisio inFriuli-Venezia-Giulia) or theInn (Livigno inLombardy), bothtributaries of theDanube, and the waters from theLago di Lei in Lombardy drain into theNorth Sea through the basin ofRhine.
In Italy there are more than 1,000 lakes, mostly artificially created by the damming of river valleys.[25]
In the north of the country are a number of subalpinemoraine-dammed lakes (theItalian Lakes), including the largest in Italy, theGarda (370 km2 or 143 sq mi).[26] Other well known of these subalpine lakes areLake Maggiore (212.5 km2 or 82 sq mi), whose most northerly section is part of Switzerland,Como (which holds the record of depth in the Italian Republic, which amounts to 410 m or 1,350 ft)[27] (146 km2 or 56 sq mi),Orta,Lugano,Iseo,Idro. These lakes occupy wide valleys carved by ancient glaciers.
In Italy there are also coastal lakes, such asLake Lesina, separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land, and volcanic lakes (Lake Bolsena,Lake Vico,Lake Bracciano), which occupy the craters of extinct volcanoes.Lake Trasimeno, on the other hand, formed in a hollow in the territory.[26] Other notable lakes in the Italian peninsula areVarano andOmodeo inSardinia.
The swamps and ponds that in the past covered vast flat areas of Italy, in recent centuries have been largely dried up;[26] the few remaining wetlands, such as theValli di Comacchio in Emilia-Romagna or theStagno di Cagliari in Sardinia, are protected as very precious natural environments.[26]
Along the Italian coasts there are lagoons, among which theVenetian Lagoon, that ofGrado Lagoon and that ofMarano Lagoon in the northern Adriatic stand out for their size and importance, and theOrbetello Lagoon on the Tuscan coast.
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The Italian peninsula overlooks theMediterranean Sea, which around it is divided into various seas.[26]
TheLigurian Sea bathes the coasts ofLiguria and, according to the cartography of the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy, the northern Tuscan coasts to the south as far as the island ofElba.
TheTyrrhenian Sea bathes the western coasts of the peninsula south of the island of Elba (and therefore all the regions fromTuscany toCalabria), the northern coasts ofSicily and the eastern coasts ofSardinia.
TheAdriatic Sea bathes the eastern coasts of the peninsula, fromFriuli-Venezia Giulia to the Cape ofSanta Maria di Leuca,Apulia.
TheIonian Sea bathes the eastern coasts of Sicily and Calabria, the coast ofBasilicata and the western coasts of Apulia.
To the south of Sicily lies theStrait of Sicily, while to the west of Sardinia lies theSea of Sardinia.[28]
Italy has a coastline of approximately 7,900 km (4,900 mi),[29][30] with a great variety of shapes that depends both on the nature of the mainland and on the action of the sea.
The Adriatic coasts are quite straight, characterized to the north by the gulfs ofTrieste andVenice, in the center by theConero promontory, to the south by that of theGargano, which forms theGulf of Manfredonia. The Adriatic coasts are low and sandy,[26] with lagoons in the northern section. Only in the Trieste area, in correspondence with the Gargano, the Conero and the lower easternSalento (betweenOtranto andSanta Maria di Leuca) do rocky sections follow one another.
The Ionian coasts are mainly low and sandy and are characterized by the wideGulf of Taranto, closed to the east by the Salento Peninsula (which divides it from the Adriatic) and to the west by the Calabrian peninsula (which divides it from the Tyrrhenian Sea).
TheStrait of Messina connects the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian seas.
The Tyrrhenian coasts are very articulated, with rocky stretches alternating with sandy beaches, with numerous gulfs and headlands. Among the many gulfs includeNaples,Salerno andGaeta, between the peninsulas that ofSorrento and the promontories that ofCirceo and that ofPiombino. In the Tyrrhenian Sea, there are three important channels: between the island of Elba and the Tuscan coast theStrait of Piombino, between Elba and Corsica theStrait of Corsica,[26] and between Sardinia and Corsica theStrait of Bonifacio.
The Ligurian Sea, which has theGulf of Genoa at its center, has high and rocky coasts in theRiviera di Levante and mixed coasts in theRiviera di Ponente.[26]
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The underground thrusts that millions of years ago gave rise to the reliefs of Italy still continue: the earthquakes and the eruptive activity of volcanoes testify to this.
Squeezed between twoplates, theAfrican Plate and theEurasian Plate, Italy is very subject to earthquakes, even intense ones, so much so that it holds the record inEurope.[31] In particular, the areas at greatest seismic risk are the north and south-west ofSicily, the wholeApennines (but in particular the central-southern area), northernApulia, almost all ofFriuli-Venezia Giulia and finally the north-west ofVeneto. On the contrary, the areas with little or no seismic risk are theAlps (excluding the extreme western and eastern area), most of thePo Valley, the Tyrrhenian coasts up toLazio, central-southern Apulia,Sardinia and central Sicily.[32]
Italy is also known for the presence of numerous volcanoes, the most well-known beingVesuvius nearNaples,Etna nearCatania (which with its 3,343 m (10,968 ft) is the highest volcano in Europe),[Note 2]Stromboli andVulcano, in theAeolian Islands in theprovince of Messina, in addition to the largecaldera formed by theCampi Flegrei inCampania.
The peninsula also has many extinct volcanoes, that is, which have ceased their eruptive activity, such as theEuganean Hills in theprovince of Padua,Mount Amiata inTuscany, theBerici Hills in theprovince of Vicenza and theCastelli Romani area, where there are several lakes that occupy the craters of ancient volcanoes. The lakes ofBracciano,Vico andBolsena in northern Lazio also had a similar origin.
In recent years, numerous studies have also been conducted to better understand the structure and destructive potential of thesubmarine volcanoMarsili, located about 140 km (87 mi) north ofSicily and about 150 km (93 mi) west ofCalabria. With its 70 km (43 mi) of length and 30 km (19 mi) of width (equal to 2,100 km2 (810 sq mi) of surface) the Marsili is one of the largest volcanoes in Europe.
Many elements of the Italian territory are of volcanic origin. Most of the small islands andarchipelagos in the south, likeCapraia,Ponza,Ischia,Eolie,Ustica andPantelleria arevolcanic islands.
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{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)The Military Geographic Institute denied my offices the fact that the prestigious Army structure carried out a study on central Italy. The IGM not only knows nothing about it but has also reiterated, and will formally do so in the coming days, an information already known: the boot is not a geometric figure and it is therefore impossible to determine the exact location of central Italy.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook.CIA.
