A state in southern Europe, in the central Mediterranean. The area of Italy is 301,340 sq. km, population - about 61 million people, capital - Rome. The country borders with. There are two enclaves in Italy - and. Italy is located on the Apennine Peninsula and in the north-west of the Balkans, in the Southern Alps, Padan Valley, on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.
About 80% of Italian territories are occupied by mountains and foothills. The relief can be divided into three types: Apennine, Padanian and Alpine. In the formation of relief important role volcanoes played a role, some of them remain active today, for example, the famous Vesuvius. The Apennine Peninsula includes mountain system Apennines and the Tyrrhenides massif. Between mountain ranges lies a hilly strip with lowlands overlooking the flat coast. The Southern Apennines are adjacent to a volcanic region. In the depression between the Alps and the Apennines is the Padana Plain - the most densely populated and developed region. The Italian Alps are very picturesque, with numerous caves and grottoes.
The climate in Italy is subtropical in the center and south and temperate in the north. On the plain, it is warm in summer +22–24 °C, and cool in winter - about 0 °C. In the center in summer it is several degrees warmer, and in the south the air often warms up to +32 ° C, winters are mild everywhere, frosts are extremely rare, only in the foothills it is several degrees cooler. Precipitation is unevenly distributed - 1,200 mm falls in the Alps, snowfalls are frequent in winter, up to 750 mm in the center, and sometimes you have to wait weeks for rain in the summer.