Italian Peninsula

Italian Peninsula
Apennine Peninsula
*Penisola italiana, Penisola appenninica, Terraferma, Continente, lo Stivale* (Italian)
Italian Peninsula; Apennine Peninsula; Penisola italiana, Penisola appenninica, Terraferma, Continente, lo Stivale (Italian)
	Satellite view of the peninsula in March 2003.
	Italian Peninsula in dark green
Geography
Location	Southern Europe
Coordinates	42°N 14°E / 42°N 14°E 37°N 15°E / 37°N 15°E
Area	150,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi); (44% of Italy's area)
Highest point	Corno Grande
Administration
	Italy
Largest settlement	Rome
	San Marino
Largest settlement	Dogana
	Vatican City
Largest settlement	Itself (City-state)
Demographics
Demonym	Apennine
Population	26,170,000
Pop. density	199.27/km2 (516.11/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Italian

The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula (Italian: Penisola italiana, Penisola appenninica) is a large peninsula of Southern Europe. It extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Ionian and Adriatic Seas on the east and the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west. It is in between two larger peninsulas: the Iberian Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula. Because of the peninsula's shape, it is nicknamed Lo Stivale ("The Boot"). Three smaller peninsulas make it look similar to this shape. They are named Calabria (the "toe"), Salento (the "heel") and Gargano (the "spur").

The peninsula is about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long, starting from the Po Valley in the north. The Apennine Mountains cover most of its length. It mainly has the Mediterranean climate, though in the mountainous parts the climate is much cooler.

Since the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus (end of 1st century BC), the northern border of the peninsula has been set on the Alps drainage basin. Geographically, however, its northern end runs from the Magra to the Rubicon rivers, north of the Apennines in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. This definition does not include the Po Valley or the southern slopes of the Alps.^[1]^[2]

Nearly all of the peninsula is part of the Italian Republic, apart from San Marino and the Vatican City.

Modern countries and territories
State	Peninsular area				Description
State	Population^[3]	km²	sq mi	Share	Description
Italian Republic	61,140,000	131,275	50,686	99.9531%	Occupies almost the whole of Italy.
San Marino	31,887	61.2	23.6	0.0466%	An enclave in the north-east of peninsular Italy
Vatican City	829	0.44	0.17	0.0003%	An enclave of Rome, Italy

Related pages

References

↑ De Agostini Ed., L'Enciclopedia Geografica - Vol. I - Italia, 2004, p.78
↑ Touring Club Italiano, Conosci l’Italia - Vol. I: L’Italia fisica, 1957
↑ Population includes only the inhabitants of mainland Italy (excluding Northern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, San Marino, and Vatican City).

42°N 14°E / 42°N 14°E / 42; 14

[1] De Agostini Ed., L'Enciclopedia Geografica - Vol. I - Italia, 2004, p.78

[2] Touring Club Italiano, Conosci l’Italia - Vol. I: L’Italia fisica, 1957

[3] Population includes only the inhabitants of mainland Italy (excluding Northern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, San Marino, and Vatican City).

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