ITALY

ITALY

1. Italy is a country that located in Western Europe. It is one of the few bicontinental countries: it has part of its continental territory in southern Europe and some islands that belong to the African continent.

2. Within its European part (which consists of 99.97% of the total territory) are the Italian peninsula and the Po Valley. Also, on the Mediterranean Sea you can find two large islands that also belong to Europe and are Italian territories: Sicily and Sardinia.

3. Regarding its African territory, three large islands can be distinguished: Lampedusa, Lampione and Pantelaria

4. Italy has been home to many cultures Europeans such as the Etruscans, the Nuraga, the Greeks and Romans

5. Its capital is Rome, which is also considered a holy city for the Catholic religion. On the other hand, it has many important cities such as Milan (considered the capital of fashion) and Turin (an important industrial and automobile production center).

6. In the northern part of Italy, the Alps border France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. To the west is the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the south the Mediterranean Sea. In the southeast it borders the Ionian Sea and to the east with the Adriatic Sea.

7. This country has two independent states or countries: the Vatican city and the city of San Marino.

8. From north to south Italy has an area of 1,360 km but it is not a very wide country: its greatest width is 610 km. Its total territory occupies an area of 301,302 km2.

9. As for its relief, you can see different mountain ranges accompanied by valleys. To the north are the Alps and below, the Po Valley. Heading south are the Apennines, the chain that runs like a backbone across the entire Italian peninsula.

10. In southern Italy is the island of Sicily, considered an extension of the Apennines, in which Mount Etnaque stands out, the highest active volcano in Europe (with a height of 3,345 meters above sea level).

11. Towards the west coast, Italy has a large number of bays and gulfs that flow into the Ionian and Adriatic Sea.

12. This country does not have a large number of watersheds. The existing ones are in the Po valley and, the vast majority (except for the that have headwaters in the Alps), they have a flow is minimal and they even get dry during the month of August

13. In the Alps and the Apennines, Italy's climate is cold. Towards the Ligurian coast (under the Alps towards the Ligurian Sea) the climate is semi-tropical, with summers here being hot and harsh winters with lots of rainfall. The average temperatures in Italy are: in the Po Valley around 13ºC; 18º C on the island of Sicily and 13.5º C in the coastal area. There is, in Italy, an annual average of 1049 mm of rainfall, more frequent during the summer season.

14. In the area of hills, valleys and coasts there is a great lots of citrus, olive and palm trees. To the southern zone you can distinguish fig trees, dates, pomegranates, sugar cane, cotton and almond trees. The fauna of Italy presents little variety in comparison with other countries in Europe. Bears, mountain goats, marmots, wolves, foxes and wild boars are some of the species that can be found. As for birds, predators predominate, buzzards, falcons, vultures and eagles. They can also be found some reptiles

15. Italy has a highly industrialized. Among its natural resources gas fields can be highlighted natural, lignite, sulfur, pyrite and petroleum and the marble stones. In addition, it is a country that receives a large part of its income from tourism

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