• Home
• Asia
• Africa
• Oceania
• North America
• South America
• Europe
• Metal
• Non Metal
• Oil
• Map

• Next

Italy and Its Economy

Italy is a country located in the southern part of Europe. The border countries are France, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland and San Marino. Italy has an area of 301217 sq km. Rome is the capital city . Vatican City is located closer to Rome. The population of Italy is around 61261254. Italy is flanked by Adriatic sea in the east and Mediterranean Sea in the south and western part. It has some major island regions like Sicily and Sardinia. Smaller islands like Elba, Tremit, Eolie, Egadi and Pantelleria are also part of the territory of Italy. The area of Sicily is around 25400 sq km and that of Sardinia is around 24000 sq km. The entire country is covered by hills, mountain ranges , river valleys and lakes. The forest cover is around 42 percent and water bodies cover around 2 percent of the geographical area of Italy. Around 51 percent of the area are covered by agriculture, horticulture, plantations, diary and rural habitations. The remaining land areas are full of urban and industrial units.

Important mountain ranges like Alps and Apennines cover Italy from north to south. The southern Alpine ranges join the Alpine Mountain Chain in France, Austria and Switzerland. The Apennines follow through the peninsular region and move to the south and join the volcanic mountains of Sicily. Italy has fertile lands in the coastal regions and river valleys. It has around 68000 sq km of fertile lands. The important river valley like Po river valley is the most productive region of Italy. The Puglie river valley is the second important productive region. Other rivers like Plave, Brento and Remo are productive areas. Tagliamento is another river valley of high productivity area of Italy. Majority of the rivers drain into Adriatic sea. Some rivers also drain in to Mediterranean sea. Lakes are found in sub Alpine regions. These are glacial lakes formed by blocking of glacial paths by moraines. Important lakes are Garda, Orta, Lugano, Isea, Idro, and Magglore. Small glaciers are found in the Alpine mountain region. The climate of Italy varies from region to region. The northern part has continental cold climate. The south Italy, Sicily and Sardinia have temperate Mediterranean climate. The island of Sicily has some active volcanoes . The Etna volcano of Sicily and the Vesuvius and Stromboli volcano near Naples are active and affect the climatic conditions of the adjoining areas.

Italy has four major parts as north, central, south and islands. These parts are divided into twenty regions. The northern part has eight regions as Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adigo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Emilia-Romagna. The central part has four regions as Tuscany, Umbria, Lazzio and Marche. The southern part has six regions as Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise, Apulia and Calabria. The island regions are Sicily and Sardinia.Italy has some important cities like Rome, Milan, Naples, Florence, Venice, Turin, Bologna, Palermo, Genoa, Trieste, Tuscany, Cagliari and Bologna. Important tourist destinations are Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Lazio, Sicily, Sardinia, Campania, Veneto, Turin, Puglia, Umbria, Piedmont, Liguria, Trentino, Syracuse, Palermo, Cagliari, Bologna, Abruzzo and the lake districts. The Alpine resorts and glaciers atract many tourists to this region. The beautiful beaches, smaller islands and volcanoes also get large number of tourists from many countries.

The river sides, olive orchards, vine yards, wood lands and country sides are destinations for nature lovers. Historical monuments and modern architectures are point of attraction for many in Italy. Some of the best UNESCO sites are there in Italy. The most famous are Coloseum of Rome, Cathedral of Florence, Saint Peters Basilica, Saint Marks Basilica, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Vatican Museums, Liffizi Gallery, Rialto Bridge, Milan Cathedral, and Mount Vesuvius. The other important poits for tourists are Amalti coast, Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, Pizza Navona, pizza San Marco, Spanish Steps, Palazzo Vechio, and Pompei ruins. The Elba island is a major tourists point.