Posts Tagged ‘geography of italy’

Aug

Italy, a Jewel of Geography and History

Posted by: The Faire Reporter in Italia, Travel & Travelers

Empress of Southern Europe

Italy is a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. Its most prominent feature is its boot-like shape kicking the island of Sicily. The current Population if Italy is approximately: 58,103,033. Its capital is Roma or Rome. It is considered a separate country with Italy, and has 2.775.000 inhabitants. You can read more about Italy’s independent countries as you continue. The Italian Peninsula was settled in antiquity by Italic tribes, Etruscans, and Greek colonists. The non-Roman peoples were gradually supplanted as the power of Rome grew from the fourth century B.C. After the fall of the Roman Empire (A.D. 476), Italy was ruled by various barbarian tribes, local families, and popes. As Europe grew closer the political pressure imposed affected the Italian culture through the birth of Nationalism in the 19th century. This finally led to unification under King Victor Emmanuel II in 1870. At the onset of World War II Italy became a fascist state under Benito Mussolini, and was allied with Germany. After surrendering to the Allies in 1943, Italy was reconstituted as a republic in 1946. Today Italy is appreciated as a vast storehouse of culture and art, it’s people friendly, welcoming, and eager to embrace the world’s visitors. The land of Italy and its geography is considered to be one of the great jewels of Europe. Its mountain ranges are dramatic, and are known for their world class resorts and spas.

The Geography of Italy

Italy is commonly referred to as “the Boot” because when viewing the map, it appears to have the shape of a boot. I think this is fascinating because when this image is brought to mind the Island of Sicily which is adjacent to the tip of “the boot” on the Western Border is completely ignored.

Italy’s landscape

The land of Italy is mainly characterized by the Alps and the Apennines, two mountain chains. The central valley wherein the Po runs from North to South is bordered by the Adriatic Sea.
Northern Italy, wherein lie the Dolomite Mountains, you may also find the Alps. This range sits from East to West. The Po begins at the foot of this Alpine Arch. As you can see in the illustration to the right, the Po flows down from the Alps directly into the Adriatic Sea. The Apennines (which sounds like a type of pasta to me) border the Ligurion Sea on the Western Border. The Apennines may be considered the backbone of the Italian peninsula. Italy has many islands. These are primarily the Sicilia/Sicily and Sardegna/Sardinia.
There also are the principal archipelagos of the Tremiti Islands, Aeolian and Egadi Islands, the Tuscan Archipelago and the Pontine Islands.

Mountains of Italy

There are two major ranges in Italy. The first is the Dolomite Mountains which extend across northern Italy are part of the Alps mountain range. The second range it the Apennine mountains cut down the center of Italy, stretching from north to south, dividing the east and west coasts.

Central Italy is dominated by the Po Valley, just south of the Dolomite Mountains, is the basin of the Po River. It is fertile farm land. Green and verdant, this valley offers some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Europe.

Island of Italy

Italy includes two large islands: Sicily and Sardinia. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, with active volcanoes and earthquakes. Sardinia is basically mountains rising out of the ocean.

Bordering Countries

Italy is bordered by Italy is divided into many regions, and each represents and individual culture and diverse lifestyle. France, Austria. Switzerland and Slovenia border Italy. Internally, Italy has 20 different States, as well as 2 independent principalities. It is much like the United States in that each of our states is essentially a small country unto itself recognizing a shared allegiance to the Federal Government, yet contains the District of Columbia. The area of 301,230 sq km is divided in 20 regions.

Surrounded by Water

Italy is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Ligurian Sea. It is a country of water and oceans and its foods and cultures reflect its intimate relationship with the Seas and Rivers that feed those Seas. Most of Italy’s rivers drain either into the Adriatic Sea (Po, Piave, Adige, Reno) or into the Thyrrenian (Arno, Tiber and Volturno), though the waters from some border municipalities (Livigno in Lombardy, Innichen and Toblach in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) drain into the Black Sea through the basin of the Danube, and the waters from the Lago di Lei in Lombardy drain into the North Sea through the basin of the Rhine.

Independent Countries with Italy

Italy also has two independent countries within its borders. Vatican City is the center for the Roman Catholic Church, and is the world’s smallest country.

The second country is San Marino, which is located on the North East coast of Italy. This amazing little sovereign country is an independent republic. San Marino is the capital of San Marino, with a population of less than 5000. The people call themselves Sammarinese.

An interesting bit of history regarding San Marino lies in its origins. San Marino was founded in AD 301 when a Christian stonemason named Marinus the Dalmatian fled to the island of Arbe to escape the anti-Christian Roman Emperor Diocletian. Marinus hid on the peak of Mount Titano and founded a small community of people following their Christian beliefs. It is certain that the area had been inhabited since prehistoric times, although evidence of existence on Mount Titano only dates back to the Middle Ages. In memory of the stonecutter, the land was renamed “Land of San Marino” and was finally changed to its present-day name, “Republic of San Marino.” Marinus of Dalmatia was canonized by the Roman Catholic church and died as a Benedictine martyr. He is recorded by the Church as slain by the Saracens at Chandor, France. During this period he was known to be a monk at Maurienne, in Savoy, France, before becoming a hermit at Chandor.[1]

Please enjoy the following links to more detailed information on each region. Data is parsed directly from Viridia Travel

Friuli Venezia Giulia