The Italian Peninsula[(Italian language: penisola italica or penisola italiana)] is located within the Italian geographical region; it extends from the southern Alps in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south which comprises much of the country of Italy and the enclaved microstates of San Marino and Vatican City.
The peninsula is also known as the Italic Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula, Italian Boot, or Mainland Italy.
Overview
It is nicknamed
lo Stivale ("the Boot"), because the shape of the peninsula resembles a high-heeled
boot. Three smaller peninsulas contribute to this characteristic shape, namely
Calabria ("the Toe"),
Salento ("the Heel") and
Gargano ("the Spur").
The backbone of the Italian Peninsula consists of the Apennine Mountains, from which it takes one of its names. The Peninsula comprises much of
Italy and also includes the enclaved microstates of
San Marino and
Vatican City.
Physical geography
Geographically, the minimum extent of the Italian Peninsula consists of the land south of a line extending from the
Magra to the
Rubicon rivers, north of the Tuscan–Emilian
Apennines. It excludes the
Po Valley and the southern slopes of the
Alps.
[De Agostini Ed., L'Enciclopedia Geografica – Vol. I - Italia, 2004, p. 78.][
Touring Club Italiano, Conosci l'Italia – Vol. I: L'Italia fisica, 1957.] The Italian Peninsula has the only active volcano on continental Europe,
Mount Vesuvius.
Political geography
In general discourse, "Italy" and the "Italian Peninsula" are often used as synonymous terms. However,
northern Italy may be excluded from the Italian Peninsula. From a political point of view, the Italian Peninsula in the strict sense (therefore excluding
insular Italy and northern Italy
[Vocabolario Treccani, Peninsulare]) is divided into various states listed in the following table:
[De Agostini Ed., L'Enciclopedia Geografica - Vol. I - Italia, 2004, p.78][Touring Club Italiano, Conosci l'Italia - Vol. I: L'Italia fisica, 1957]
|
|
|
| | 26,140,000 | | 99.9531% | Virtually the entire peninsula |
| | 31,887 | | 0.0466% | A central-eastern enclave of peninsular Italy |
| | 829 | | 0.0003% | An enclave of Rome, Italy |
See also
External links
