| Location | Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia |
| Geographic coordinates | 42 50 N, 12 50 E |
| Map references | Europe |
| Area | total: 301,340 sq km land: 294,140 sq km water: 7,200 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily |
| Area - comparative | almost twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,836.4 km border countries (6): Austria 404 km, France 476 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.4 km, San Marino 37 km, Slovenia 218 km, Switzerland 698 km |
| Coastline | 7,600 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate | predominantly Mediterranean; alpine in far north; hot, dry in south |
| Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc) 4,748 m lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m mean elevation: 538 m |
| Natural resources | coal, antimony, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 47.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 22.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 8.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 15.7% (2018 est.) forest: 31.4% (2018 est.) other: 21.5% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 39,500 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 191.3 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Etna (3,330 m), which is in eruption as of 2010, is Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to nearby Sicilian villages; Etna, along with the famous Vesuvius, which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the Bay of Naples area, have both been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Stromboli, on its namesake island, has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Larderello, Pantelleria, Vulcano, and Vulsini |
| Geography - note | strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
