Italy

The Geography of Italy

Geographically, Italy is a boot shaped peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean sea. It is approximately 1,130 kilometres long and has a total area of approximately 301,238 square kilometres comprising some of the most varied and scenic landscapes on earth.

The Mountains: Italy is mostly mountainous with ranges over 700 metres covering a third of the country. The best known ranges are the Alps, the Dolomites and the Appenines.

The Lakes: There are about 1,500 lakes in Italy. Most of these are small Alpine lakes that are used for hydroelectric schemes.

The Coast: Including islands, Italy has a total coastline of 7,600 kilometres, much of which is extremely varied.

The islands: Italy is surrounded by sea on three sides. The two largest islands in the Mediterranean, Sicily and Sardinia, are both a part of Italy.

Climate

Italy is a country of extremely varied landscapes and consequently experiences a similarly varied climate. Between the north and south there can be a considerable difference in temperature, particularly during the winter. In Milan it could be −2°C and snowing, while at the same time 8°C in Rome and 20°C in Palermo. The differences are less extreme in the summer.

The coastal regions, where most of the large towns are located, have a typical Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot and generally dry summers. The length and intensity of the summer dry season increases towards the south. The coastal areas throughout Italy experience largely similar conditions from north to south with mild winters and hot, dry summers. The western side of the country experiences more rain than the eastern side which is windier, especially north of Pescara where Italy is subject to the strong, Bora wind that gusts across the Adriatic from Central Europe.

In contrast to the settled days of summer, the weather throughout Italy can be very changeable in the autumn, winter and spring. This unpredictable weather can continue until the end of May and can start anytime after the beginning of September. The winter months tend to alternate between clouds and rain and warmer, sunnier weather.

Key Information

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Neighbouring countries:

France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Malta.

Big Cities:

Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence and Turin.

Population size:

59,800,024

Famous Italians

Literature: Dante Alieghieri

Art: Leonardo Da Vinci

Famous Landmarks

History: Julius Caesar

Sport: Valentino Rossi

Colosseum

Luciano Pavarotti

Science: Galileo Galilei

The Vatican

The History of Italy

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Italian Politics

In June 1946, the Italian people voted to abolish the Monarchy and the country became a Democratic Republic. The Italian Parliament is made up of 945 elected members. There are two houses, both with equal rights and powers. The Italian Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, has 630 seats. For elections to the lower house, the country is represented by 26 constituences. These constituences elect 617 members of Parliament between them. Aosta Valley elects one more and the remaining 12 are elected by Italians living abroad.

Unlike the British and American system, where votes are cast for individual candidates, the Italian voting system is based on a 'Party List' system, where each party's candidates are ranked in order of priority. If a party wins 10 seats, for example, then the first 10 candidates on their list are selected and take their seats in Parliament.

The Etruscans: The first civilisation known in Italy was established by the Etruscans around the 8th century BC. They were based in the modern-day region of Tuscany. During the 7th century BC, they were a powerful presence, setting up a series of City-States reaching as far south as Rome and at one stage as far north as the Po river.

The Romans: The Romans ruled Italy and the Roman Empire for many centuries and, although the boundaries of their empire advanced and retreated over the years, the city of Rome and the Italian peninsula remained secure.

Napoleon Bonaparte:

After a whirlwind campaign, Napoleon had relieved Austria of most of northern Italy. In fact, he was only two days march from Vienna itself when the Austrian Emperor agreed an armistice. Two years later, the Austrian and Russian armies recaptured the territory while Napolean was away in Syria. On his return, he set about the task again and by 1809 every part of the peninsula was under French control.

Mussolini : First appeared in Italian politics during the years leading up to world war 1. At this time he was an active revolutionary socialist, becoming in 1912 the editor of Avanti, the official publication of the Italian Socialist party. Growing ever more distant from his original allies, he formed the 'Fasci di Combattimento' or 'league for combat' in March 1919.

Italian History Continued...

World War II: Mussolini did not take long to establish himself as a dictator and his dreams of imperial grandeur lead him to invade and conquer Ethiopia and Albania is close succession. In 1936, Mussolini signed a pact with Hitler, setting Italy on a disastrous course as nazi allies in the second world war. Italy's disastrous campaign in Africa led to the loss of all of her colonies there as the Allies advanced. Even worse was to come. Italy itself was the next allied target.

When American and British troops landed in Sicily in July 1943, Italy became the first of the axis powers to be invaded. With the Allies moving up the peninsula, and the Germans in retreat, the Fascist party ousted Mussolini, surrendered to the Allies and declared war on their former allies, the Germans. After a long, ferocious and highly destructive battle in the central area of the country, the Allies moved steadily north. Although rescued by the Germans and held under protection in a palace on Lake Garda, Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were captured by the partisans and shot.

After the war, a referendum abolished the monarchy and established the First Italian Republic.

Italy