| Geography | Italy |  = Fields  = World Records  = Dictionary  = Bar graph  = Distribution map  = Fields History  = Definitions |
| | | | |
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: 301,340 sq km
land: 294,140 sq km
water: 7,200 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily |
Area - comparative:
|
slightly larger than Arizona |
Land boundaries:
|
total: 1,899.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km |
Coastline:
|
7,600 km |
Maritime claims:
|
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Climate:
|
predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south |
Terrain:
|
mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands |
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc) |
Natural resources:
|
coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land |
Land use:
|
arable land: 26.41%
permanent crops: 9.09%
other: 64.5% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
|
39,500 sq km (2008) |
Total renewable water resources:
|
175 cu km (2005) |
Total renewable water resources - per capita:
|
2,869 cubic meters per capita |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
total: 41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%)
per capita: 723 cu m/yr (1998) |
Natural hazards:
|
regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
volcanism: Italy experiences significant volcanic activity; Etna (elev. 3,330 m), which is in eruption as of 2010, is Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to nearby Sicilian villages; Etna, along with the famous Vesuvius, which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the Bay of Naples area, have both been deemed "Decade Volcanoes" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Stromboli, on its namesake island, has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Larderello, Pantelleria, Vulcano, and Vulsini |
Environment - current issues:
|
air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur 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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note:
|
strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe |
| = Fields = World Records = Dictionary = Bar graph = Distribution map = Fields History = Definitions | |
|
|
|
This page was last updated on 3 February, 2012 |
|
|
Home 
Geographic Names
Chiefs of State
Intl. Organizations
Intl. Environmental Agree.
Other References
