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
Geographical Area
Land
294,020 Sq Km.
Water
7,210 Sq Km.
Land Boundary
1,932 Km.
Border Countries
Austria
430 Km.
France
488 Km.
Vatican City
3 Km.
San Marino
39 Km.
Slovenia
232 Km.
Switzerland
740 Km.
Length of Coastline
7,600 Km.
Terrain
Mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands.
Elevation Extremes
Lowest Point
Mediterranean Sea 0m
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%
Permanent Crops
9%
Other
65%
Irrigated Land
27,500 Sq Km.
Natural Hazards
Regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice.
Environmental 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.
