Geography of Italy

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Italy viewed from space.

southern Italy and Sicily on the 1849 map

This article describes the geography of Italy.

Location

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia.

Geographic coordinates

42°50′N 12°50′E

Map references

Europe

Area

Total: 301,230 km²
Land: 294,020 km²
Water: 7,210 km²
Note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Land boundaries

Total: 1,932.2 km
Border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km and Switzerland 740 km

Coastline

7,600 km

Maritime claims

Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles

Climate

Predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Terrain

Mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Natural resources

Mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land

Land use

Arable land: 31%
Permanent crops: 10%
Permanent pastures: 15%
Forests and woodland: 23%
Other: 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land

27,100 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

Regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

Environment--current issues

Air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulphur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities

Environment--international agreements

Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography--note: Strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

[edit] See also

Italian Peninsula

v • d • e

Geography of Europe

Albania · Andorra · Armenia² · Austria · Azerbaijan¹ · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus² · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia¹ · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan¹ · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia¹ · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey¹ · Ukraine · United Kingdom · Vatican City

Dependencies, autonomies and other territories
Abkhazia¹ · Adjara² · Åland · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey · Kosovo · Nagorno-Karabakh² · Nakhichevan² · Transnistria · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus^2, 3

¹ Has significant territory in Asia. ² Entirely in West Asia, but considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons. ³ Only recognised by Turkey.

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Categories: Articles to be merged since September 2006 | Geography of Italy | Geography by country