Located in the south of Eurasia, the Apennine Peninsula is washed by the waters of several seas: the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian in the west, the Adriatic in the east, the Ionian in the south. The area of the peninsula, comprising 149 thousand square meters. km, Italy shares the smallest state in the world, the Vatican and San Marino - the oldest republic of the planet. The width of the Italian peninsula (Penisola italiana) is small: in the narrowest part of 130, in the widest - about 300 kilometers.
Throughout the entire length (approximately 1.1 thousand kilometers), the Apennine Peninsula is crossed by a mountain system, which largely forms its relief: mid-altitude Apennines, hilly foothills, volcanic plateaus and narrow stripes of hilly plains along the coasts. The Apennine mountains are not a serious obstacle to communication and have several long and easily accessible passes.
The dense forests that once covered the Padansky Plain and the Apennine Peninsula were exterminated for fuel and construction, they were cut down to increase the area of agricultural land. Now preserved and newly restored forests occupy no more than 20% of the territory and are located mainly in mountainous regions and on hills. Thickets of Mediterranean shrubs are more common. Cultivated plants are cultivated in the middle high-altitude zone - various crops and grapes, orange and lemon trees, almonds and fig trees.
Due to deforestation and land cultivation, the natural habitats of wild animals that have been found here have disappeared. At present, there is no need to talk about the great diversity of fauna on the Italian peninsula. In ancient times there were excellent pastures where numerous herds grazed. Thanks to them, the name was given to a country that occupies almost the entire peninsula (Italy is a term that came from Greece and means "country of calves").
Since the Apennine Peninsula is located in the contact zone of lithospheric plates, earthquakes often occur here. High seismicity is not the only cause of unrest in the peninsula. Volcanoes cause no less concern, especially Vesuvius - one of the most active volcanoes in the European part of the continent. The vast areas around it are covered with lava and covered with volcanic ash, reminiscent of a catastrophic eruption at the beginning of our era and the death of ancient cities. One of them - Pompeii - is partly liberated from under the ashes and turned into a world-famous museum reserve.
The Apennine Peninsula is characterized by a variety of climatic conditions. The warm Mediterranean climate is characteristic only for a relatively narrow coastal strip, while in the mountainous regions the climate is cooler. The climate of the Italian Riviera is especially soft.
The coast of the
Ligurian Sea is protected from the cold northern winds by mountains, so winters are rainy and warm
(the average temperature in January is +8 degrees), and snow and frost are extremely rare. In the summer, there is a lot of sun, but the heat on the seashore does not exhaust.