According toThe World Factbook, the main natural phenomena posing a threat inItaly at a regional level arelandslides,mudflows,avalanches,earthquakes,volcanic eruptions,floods and, inVenice,subsidence.[1]
As released by the Italian Institute of Environmental Protection and Research (IIEPR), 2.2% of the Italian population lives in areas at high or very high risk fromlandslides, and 3.8% of buildings and 5.8% of cultural heritage sites are located in those places.[2]
Between 1970 and 2019, landslides caused 1085 deaths, 10 missing people, and 1454 non-fatal injuries. The regions with the highest mortality rate in that period wereAosta Valley andTrentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.[3]
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Being placed in the convergence between theEurasian Plate and theAfrican Plate, Italy (with the relative exception ofSardinia) suffers fromseismicity, which is particularly high along theApennine range, inCalabria, inSicily and in some places ofNorthern Italy, such asFriuli, part ofVeneto, and westernLiguria. According to theItalian Civil Protection, the Italian seismic hazard is medium-high, while the vulnerability is very high also due to the fragility of the Italian building stock and the exposition is extremely high, as a consequence of the population density and the cultural heritage.[4]
As released by the Italian Institute of Environmental Protection and Research (IIEPR), 10.4% of the Italian population lives in areas at high or very high risk fromfloods, and 9.3% of buildings and 15.3% of cultural heritage sites are located in those places.[2]
Between 1970 and 2019, floods caused 585 deaths, 50 missing people, and 481 non-fatal injuries. The regions with the highest mortality rate in that period wereAosta Valley andLiguria.[3]
The Italian authorities have classified the Italian volcanoes based on the time of the last eruption; besides submarine volcanoes and those considered extinct, in Italy there are dormant (Alban Hills,Phlegraean Fields,Ischia,Vesuvius,Lipari,Vulcano,Panarea,Pantelleria) and active volcanoes (Mount Etna andStromboli).[5]