Italy's Physical Geography

The physical geography of Italy is one of extreme beauty with distinctive lands and water bodies, that serve as an attractive travelor's destination for people from all over the world. The country of Italy is said to be a penisula that has the shape of a boot, which is why it has the nickname 'lo stivate.' Italy is also surrounded by several seas, The Ligurian Sea, Tyrrbenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Adriatic Sea.

Italy has two mountain ranges, the Alps and the Apennines. The Apennine nountain range is the literal backbone of the country. The Alps surround the northwestern parts of the country. The natural position of both these mountain ranges acquires the shape of an arc and this semicircular topography strengthens the northern boundaries of Italy against any possible foreign invasions and encroaches. Italy's highest mountain summit is Monte Blanc, also known as 'Monte Blanco,' which is 5,781 feet above sea levels. There are also two volcanoes in Italy. The dormant Mount Vesuvius, located near Naples, and the very active Mount Etna, located in Sicily.




The Italian plain is known as the Padan Plain, which is drained by the longest river of Italy, The Po River and its numerous tributories and distributaries, mostly flowing down from the Alps and Appennines to join it. Some of the many tributaries of the Po River like Mincio, Dora Baltea, Trebbia, and Secchia bring in extensive alluvial deposits to the plain, increasing its fertility and cultivality. Other rivers in Italy are the Tiber, Volturno, Tagliamento, Liri-Garigliano, Isonzo, Adige, Arno, Piave, and Reno. Italy also have numerous lakes. The lakes of Italy are Northern Italy, Lake Como, Lake Iseo, Lake Maggiore, Central Italy, Lake Bolsena, Lake Bracciano, Lake Trasimeno, and Lake Garda which is the largest of all the lakes.



Italy’s diverse landscape also leads to equally diverse climates. In the north, summers are very hot and winters are very cold (especially in the alps, where the temperatures can get very harsh). The climate evens out as you head south, though the regions south of Rome can have a few weeks of extremely hot weather when the African wind Sirocco passes through.

Sources:
"Geography of Italy." mapsofworld.com. mapsofworld, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
"Facts of Italy." seeitalia.com. seeitalia, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
"Map of Italy." worldatlas.com. worldatlas, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.