Italy: Geography#

LocationSouthern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Geographic Coordinates42 50 N, 12 50 E 42.833332,12.833333
Area total: 301,340 sq km
land: 294,140 sq km
water: 7,200 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
[Verified in 8 databases]
Land boundariestotal: 1,836 km
border countries: Austria 404 km, France 476 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3 km, San Marino 37 km, Slovenia 218 km, Switzerland 698 km
Coastline7,600 km
Elevation Extremeslowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)
Highest MountainsDue to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists :
According to Wolfram: Mont Blanc 4810 m; Mont Blanc de Courmayeur 4748 m; Monte Rosa 4633 m; Nordend 4609 m; Zumsteinspitze 4563 m
According to Geonames: Monte Rosa 4634 m; Naso del Liskamm 4272 m; Les Grandes Jorasses 4208 m; Strahlhorn 4190 m; Gran Paradiso 4061 m

Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office@global-geography.org
Important Mountains
Terrainmostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Natural Hazardsregional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice volcanism: 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
Natural Resourcecoal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land
Land Usearable land: 22.57%
permanent crops: 8.37%
other: 69.07% (2011)
Climatepredominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Irrigated Land39,510 sq km (2007)
Renewable Water Resources191.3 cu km (2011)
Environment_CurrentIssuesair 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 agreementsparty 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
Large CitiesRome; Milan; Naples; Turin; Palermo
[Verified]
Important Cities
Geography-notestrategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe
Important Rivers
Important Lakes