Italy

Geography

Italy is located in the south of Europe and stretches from the Alps in the north to the Mediterranean in the south. The boot shape of the Apennine Peninsula is particularly characteristic. Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia to the north. The enclaves of San Marino and the Vatican are also located within Italy. To the west, Italy is bordered by the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas. To the south lies the Ionian Sea and to the east the Adriatic coast stretches from Trieste to the southern tip. Italy also includes the two largest islands in the western Mediterranean, Sardinia and Sicily. There are also around 210 other islands. In total, the coastline is 7,600 km long.

From the Alpine high ridge in the north to the subtropical regions in the south, both geography and climate vary considerably. The north-south extension is almost 1200 km. On average, the country lies at an altitude of 538 above sea level, with Mont Blanc being the highest mountain in the country at 4,810 meters.

With an area of 301,340 square kilometers, Italy is one of the largest countries in Europe. It is home to 58.94 million people, resulting in a population density of 195.6 inhabitants per square kilometer. However, at 71.7%, most people live in the urban areas - above all the conurbations around the capital Rome as well as Milan, Naples and Turin.

Climate in Italy

In the north of Italy, near the Alps, there are long and cold winters, while summers tend to be short and dry compared to the rest of the country. The temperate climate of Central Europe diminishes the further south one goes. South of the Apennines, the climate becomes subtropical due to the influence of the Mediterranean Sea on both sides. Winters are cool, but it rarely freezes. Summers, on the other hand, are longer and hotter. In the south of the country, as far as Sicily, the climate is warm all year round. It rains more often from November to January, but the daytime temperatures are always above 10°C, even in December. In Sicily, the sun shines for more than 2,000 hours a year and spring begins much earlier than in more northern Europe.

• Detailed climate data for Italy and 20 individual regions
• Volcanoes
• Earthquakes
• Tsunamis

Languages

Mother tongue	Distribution
Italian	94.1 %
Sardinian	2.7 %
Friuli	1.2 %
German	0.5 %
French	0.5 %
Albanian	0.2 %
Romany	0.2 %
Slovenian	0.2 %
other	0.4 %

Religions

Religion	Distribution
Buddhists	0.3%
Roman Catholics	87.8%
other Christs	2.0%
Protestants	1.3%
Jehovah's Witnesses	0.4%
Hinduists	0.2%
Muslims	1.9%
nondenominational	5.8%
other	0.3%

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Economy

GDP:	2,049.74 bn $
Exportations:	751.09 bn $
Importations:	781.08 bn $
Budget deficit:	159.95 bn $
› Tourism receipts:	25.36 bn $
› Debt rate:	144.41 %
› Unemployment rate:	7.62 %
› Inflation rate:	8.20 %
› Corruption index:	56 (moderate)
› Energy consumption:	286.4 bn kWh

With a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.906, Italy counts as one of the high developed economies by UN definition. The IMF also shares this classification.

With an average annual income of 38,200 USD Italy is one of the high-income countries.

Land use

24% Urban areas:	73,541 km²
44% Agricultural areas:	132,620 km²
32% Forest:	96,821 km²
2% Water areas:	7,200 km²

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Transport

Roadways:	228,863 km
Railways:	20,048 km
Waterways:	1,562 km
Reg. vehicles:	45,487,900
› Airports: