Friday, 12 April 2013

Italy's geography



Hello everyone ! We have arrived in Italy. We would like to inform you especially about the geography of the country.

Italy is located in southern Europe and comprises the long, boot-shaped Italian Peninsula, the land between the peninsula and the Alps and the islands Sicily and Sardinia. Although Corsica belongs also to the Italian geographical region, it has been part of France since 1769.

 

 

Italy has a coastline of 7,600 kilometres on the Adriatic sea, Ionian sea, Tyrrhenian sea, Ligurian sea, Sea of Sardinia and Strait of Sicily.

 


Almost 40% of the Italian territory is mountainous. The Alps are forming the northern boundary and the Apennine Mountains are the backbone of the peninsula. Between these mountains lays the largest river of Italy namely, the Po. The Po Valley is spread over 46,000 square kilometres and it represents over 70% of the total plain area in the country.

 


In Italy there are some worldwide-known mountains like : Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso, Bernina, Stelvio and Dolomites. The highest mountain, the Mont Blanc, peaks at 4, 810 metres above sea level. The Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe.

Mattherhorn:

 


Dolomites:

 

Italy has 60,626,442 inhabitants. It has a population density of 201 per square kilometre. The most densely populated areas are the Po Valley and the metropolitan areas of Rome and Naples. 

Italy has extremely varied landscapes and also a varied climate. Between the north and the south there can be a large difference in temperature, particularly in the winter. For example: in Milan, it can be -2°C while it is 8°C in Rome and 20°C in Palermo. In the summer the differences are less extreme. 

The coastal regions, where most of the large towns are located have mild winters and hot and generally dry summers.

Inland, throughout the peninsula, the weather is often colder and wetter with frequent snow on the mountains during the winter.


The isles Sardinia and Sicily, can get very hot with long periods of settled weather and continuous sunshine. In Sardinia and Sicily , there is an average of 4 hours of sunshine a day during the winter and 9 hours a day in the summer.

In Italy we have visited some important places such as: Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Venice and Pompeii.

Rome is also called the ‘Eternal City’ because of its 2,500 year history.

The Vatican city is completely surrounded by Rome and is the administrative seat of the Roman Catholic Church  and papal residence. This place is almost completely surrounded by walls and it embraces less than two square miles. 

 


Florence represents the Renaissance from architecture to painting and sculpture. The city boasts almost 40 museums , including the Uffizi. We have visited the Uffizi museum. This museum displays Italian Renaissance art, as well as the work from other European artists like Michelangelo’s. 

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and its famous dome dominate the landscape.

 

Uffizi museum:

 


Venice is known for its canals. The best way to visit Venice is in a Gondola, a long narrow boat designed to navigate the city’s waterways. We are planning to do such a gondola ride.

Built on a series of islands, Venice lies next to the Adriatic Sea on Italy’s northeast coast.

Did you know that cars are not allowed in the city of Venice?! Visitors can walk over 400 bridges or can take various transport services.

 


In 79 B.C., Mount Vesuvius erupted suddenly and buried Pompeii, a city on the Gulf of Naples. It is located south of Rome on Italy’s southwest coast and visitors still can experience the catastrophe. 




 
 





 



 



 



 









 






 







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