The Italian flag is based on the French flag, but instead of the blue stripe, Italy changed it to green. It was made the official flag of Italy in 1946 when Italy decided it no longer wished to be ruled by a royal family and was made a republic.

All information in this booklet is from the book Italy by Sally Garrinotch and my knowledge of Italy.

By Emma Medland

Location

• This first picture is a map of Europe, the arrow is pointing to Italy. Italy is located in southern Europe and has borders with Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland and France. Italy is also surrounded by four seas, which are the Liguria sea, Tyrrhenian sea, Adriatic sea and the Mediterranean sea. Since 1951 Italy has been part of Europe and one of the first countries to be a part of the European Union.

Italy

Location continued

• This next picture on the left is a map of the world showing you where Italy is in a global context. Italy is located above the continent of Africa. These are separated by the Mediterranean sea. This means Italy is in the Northern Hemisphere above the Equator. The coordinates for the centre of Italy in global context are 44.2632° N, 11.4403° E this is shown on the map on the right. The map on the right has the longitude and latitude to help make the coordinates.

Italy

Italy in the coordinates: 44.2632° N, 11.4403° E.

Italy's landscape and climate

Mountains

The Alps• The Alps are located in North Italy, they connect the Northern

border of Italy to the rest of Europe. The highest point of the Alps is Mont Blanc at 4,807m, which rises on the French, Italian border. The eastern part of the Alps are called the Dolomites and within the Alps there are many Glaciers. The sources of the Po, Ticino, Adige and Piave rivers are all on the south facing side of the Alps and have a range of lakes, the three largest are Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda. The Alps are split into five climate zones, each with a different kind of environment.

• The section of the Alps that is above 3,000 metres is called the névé zone. This area, which has the coldest climate, is permanently coated with compressed snow. Plants are therefore limited in the névé zone.

• The alpine zone lies between the height of 2,000 and 3,000 metres. This zone is less cold than in the névé zone. This means plant could grow here.

• Just below the alpine zone is the subalpine zone, 1,500 to 2,000 metres high. Therefore you start to see trees and plants because the temperature is slightly warmer.

• At about 1,000 to 1,500 metres high is the arable zone. You will see millions of oak trees grow in this area. This is also where farming takes place because the temperature is higher.

• Below 1,000 metres are the lowlands. Here, a larger variety of plants are produced. Aside from plants, villages are also in the lowlands because the temperature is more manageable for both humans and animals.

The Apennines • The Apennines mountain range is often referred to as the “Backbone

of Italy”. For much of the peninsula the Apennines run parallel to the coast. Many rivers run east and west from these mountains, but the are much shorter than the ones flowing from the Alps. The highest region of the Apennines is the Corno Grande at 2,912m. Most of the mountainous area has been deforested and overgrazed by sheep and goats. In the winter heavy winds wash away the soil and reduce the fertility of the area and because of the crops are harder to grow. The climate of the highest section of the Apennines is unpredictable by Mediterranean influences. Snowfalls are frequent, with cold winters and hot summers average July temperature 75°–95° F [24°–35° C]. Average rainfall is between 40 and 80 inches per year and is higher on the Tyrrhenian slopes than on the eastern, or Adriatic, side of the Apennines. The plants of the Apennines is Mediterranean in type and varies with both latitude and altitude. In the north, woodlands with oak, beech, chestnut, and pine dominate. To the south, ilexes, bays, lentisks, myrtles, and oleander abound. Existing crops are represented by the olive trees, growing to a height of about 1,300 feet above sea level; citrus fruits, which are well developed in Calabria and Sicily; and grapes, which are found in abundance in Tuscany, Lazio, and Puglia. Other products of the range include sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit. The importance of corn diminished with the depopulation of hill farms. In the highland areas, pasturing remains the main form of land use.

There are also many animals such as insects, the brown bear, the chamois, the wolf, and the wild boar which are now preserved in two natural reserves Abruzzo National Park and Sila Park and several regional parks.

Volcanoes and Earthquakes

Italy has a major plate margin running through it, marking two sections of the Earth’s crust that are moving in different directions. These often result in earthquakes. In the Alps they are more likely to be felt as the plates continue to collide and land is forced upwards. In some areas, where one plate is forced beneath the surface as it meets another plate, Magma can sometimes find its way to the surface and create a Volcano. Volcanoes and Earthquakes have affected Italy throughout history, from the famous eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii in AD 79, to the Assisi earthquake in 1997. The most recent dramatic volcano eruption was Mount Etna’s outpouring in 2002.

There are over twenty five volcanoes in Italy and some of them have rarely erupted but here are a few:

• Mount Etna which last erupted last month (2012)• Mount Vesuvius which last erupted in 1944• Stromboli which last erupted in 2010• Campi Flegrei which last erupted in 1538• Vulcano which last erupted in 1890

The red triangles are the most active volcanoes and the green are less active on the picture.

Italy’s coastal plains and Islands• To the west and the east of the Apennines are Italy’s Coastal Plains. They are more extensive on

the western side and run from Naples up to Livorno. The Plain of the River Arno extends from the coast inland towards Florence. This large river plain is heavily populated. The plains around Naples are ideal for farming as they provide flat fertile land, following volcanic eruptions, with warm Mediterranean climate.

• Italy has many islands, the two largest and most important are Sicily and Sardinia. The Apennines reach into northern Sicily. Additionally Mount Etna, a volcano, is located in the east of the island. Sardinia has a mountainous interior with coastal plains, which are widest on the west coast.

• Italy has many other small Islands, mainly in the Tyrrhenian sea. These include the Aeolian Islands, Capri, the Pontine Islands and Elba. Most of these rely on tourism as their main source of income.

Rivers• Rivers that originate from the Alps, such as the Ticino and Po (Largest and longest river in Italy), have large basins

and flow across the Po plains to the sea. These rivers flow all year round, fed by rain in Autumn and Spring, and by melting ice glaciers in the summer. In the peninsula section of Italy rivers flow east and west from the Apennine mountain range. As the peninsula is narrow these rivers are much shorter than those in the north. The flow of rivers such as the Ofanto in southern Italy depend entirely on rainfall, which can be very heavy during Autumn and Spring, causing flash flooding. However in the summer, rainfall can be so low that the rivers dry up completely.

• Problems with Low flow and drought: Italy’s climate is characterised by the summer drought, especially in the south. This problem has become worse over the last decade, partly due to global warming and partly because there has been a 25 per cent decline in annual average rainfall. The water supply system, particularly in the south, is very inefficient and approximately 60 per cent of Italians suffer from some form of water shortage for three months of the year. The impact of drought in 2002 was that farmers lost £2.8 billion because crops failed to grow. In this extreme situation hospitals ran out of water, water was being stolen and then resold and people in towns often had water on tap for only a few hours a day.

• Italy learnt from the situation in 2002 and urgent repairs were actioned to existing water supplies to reduce water leakage, Education campaigns started, change in crop types that required less water were introduced, the measuring of radiation for future droughts took place and reintroduction of terracing to help absorb rainfall naturally began.

• With an increase in extreme weather conditions linked to global warming, Italy has suffered many disastrous floods, including those in the Piemonte region in 1994 when 94 people were killed. In 2000 the Ticino and Po rivers flooded in the North of Italy and killed 20 people, at the same time as that 15 campers were killed by a flash flood in the south of the country. Part of the problem is that there has been a increase of building in the floodplains. This means the land surface is cemented and can no longer absorb water. There has also been large-scale deforestation on mountain slopes. This results in less rainfall absorbed by the trees and instead it speeds over the surface of the rivers and floods occur.

Climate • Italy has a wide range of climates, from the cool alpine region in the north to the warm

Mediterranean peninsula region with its summer droughts. Regional winds can affect the climates of some areas. The Scirocco wind is a hot, dry wind that blows from the deserts of North Africa. In the spring areas in the south and Sardinia can be affected by the Mistral wind, a cold, dry wind that blows of the continent of Europe and is sometime responsible for extensive crop damage.

• Mountain Climates: are varied with height because in high above sea level the air is colder and plant are less likely to grow there, but closer to the bottom the warm air from the cities help plants grow and more trees and meadows will be spotted.

• The Northern Plain: The large Northern Plain is surrounded on three sides by mountains and the Apennines range prevent the warm sea breezes reaching the area. In the winter fogs will form over the moist land and not many strong winds will happen because the land is sheltered by the mountains. In the summer the heat rises and more thunderstorm occur and this makes the vegetation relatively plain.

• Coastal areas: The coastal areas have a smaller range of temperatures because the Mediterranean sea heats up slowly in the summer and releases the this heat during the winter. The eastern coasts tend to cooler than the west because the strong winds coming from the north-east are cooler. As well as that the Adriatic sea is shallower so it doesn't store heat as well.

The Economy

Tourism • Italy has had a long history of tourism, dating back to the days of the Roman empire when

Greeks and Emperors came to Italy and its Islands for Holidays. Now over 35 million tourists a year come and visit Italy for all the historical attractions and breath taking views such as Mount Vesuvius, Tuscany, Venice and the Amalfi coast.

• Tourist attractions:

• Pompeii is visited by over 2.3 million tourists a year because of its amazing history and the beautiful, preserved archaeology.

• Leaning Tower of Pisa and Florence for the art museums.

• Lake Garda and Lake Como.

• Milan is a major tourist attraction with shopping and the fashion industry.

• Venice is visited for its beautiful canals and stunning architecture – the city is slowly sinking.

• The Amalfi Coast has stunning scenery and has beautiful driving routes along the coast.

• Mount Vesuvius – a historic and active volcano surrounded by millions of the population.

• Colosseum in Rome is visited by many because of its history and remaining architecture.

• Tourism is the main source of income for cities such as Venice, although the city is sometimes in danger of being swamped not only by the huge number of visitors but by the increased flooding that occurs each year. But in some areas tourism is causing problems. Because of the volume of people visiting the ski areas, the Alpine environment is being affected through deforestation to create new ski slopes, and more ski lifts are being built which makes the mountains less scenic. The Italians have only just started to realise that tourism is not always a good thing because of the impact of travel pollution and green house gases that affect the countryside.

Unemploymentand Migration

Average unemployment rate by region (%) 20XX• North-west:• North-east:• North:• Central:• South (including Sicily

and Sardinia):

• Italy as a whole:

Why is the North richer than the South?There are many reasons why north Italy is

richer than the south, some people think the south is poor. However if you go to the south of Italy its not what you would expect for a poor part of the country. One of the main reasons is that north Italy benefits from an industrial base, concentrated in 3 main cities which is where a lot of the income comes from through the manufacturing of food, clothes and attractions. There is also a lot of migration within Italy which impacts on employment across the Country. The south of Italy has more farming and uses the beautiful landscape to support tourism.

Population In 2011, Italy had a population of just over 60.6 million. Whilst in previous years the population had been increasing, there has been a down turn in the birth rate more recently and the average birth rate per Italian woman is now only 1.3 children. The population growth rate of Italy has reduced to just 0.05% and this extremely slow rate of growth is a cause for concern. If current population growth figures in Italy continue at their current rate there will most likely be labour shortages in future years. This birth rate is approximately half the population birth rate of many other EU member states. Life expectancy in Italy is as expected of a Western European country. Average life expectancy for the total population of Italy is 79 years.

As well as Italians living in the country, there are small minorities of Germans, French and Slovenians existing in the population of northern Italy and in the south of Italy there are small populations of Italians who are ethnically Greek or Albanian.

Leisure and sport

• Italian leisure time mainly revolves around home and family, and 60 per cent of Italians spend 2 hours a day meeting up with friends and relatives. Television viewing is very popular and 99 per cent of homes own at least one TV. There isn't a real national newspaper but over half the population reads one at least once a week. Cinemas are also popular and the Venice film festival, founded in 1932 is the oldest film festival in the world. Opera is another leisure many people enjoy in Italy, with over one hundred venues to watch the performances.

• Football is a big passion for Italians as it is the nations sport, but there is now a growing interest in Rugby. In 2000 they joined the European Six Nations Rugby tournament. Hunting is also a huge sporting event with over 800,000 regular hunters in Italy. They shoot rabbits, wild boar, and songbirds which might be protected in other countries.

Mount Vesuvius and the history of Pompeii

• Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe, and has produced some of the continent's largest volcanic eruptions. Located on Italy's west coast, it overlooks the Bay and City of Naples and sits in the crater of the ancient Somma volcano. Vesuvius is most famous for the eruption in 79 AD which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Although the volcano's last eruption was in 1944, it still represents a great danger to the cities that surround it, especially the busy metropolis of Naples. Mount Vesuvius has experienced eight major eruptions in the last 17,000 years. The 79 AD eruption is probably the most well known ancient eruption in the world, and killed many thousands of people. Ash, mud and rocks from this eruption buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pompeii is famous for its rediscovered remains and casts formed around victims at the time of the eruption. The unfortunate people suffocated on ash and gases in the air, which then sadly covered them and preserved amazing details of their clothing and faces.

• The current cone known as Mount Vesuvius began growing in the caldera of the Mount Somma volcano. Most of the rocks arising from Vesuvius are andesite, an intermediate volcanic rock. Andesite lava creates explosive eruptions on a variety of scales, which makes Vesuvius an especially dangerous and unpredictable volcano. Explosions of magma rise up from a pool in the volcano’s conduit and so far lava flows from the summit and flank fissures have been relatively small. Huge explosions that created columns of gas, ash and rock which can rise dozens of kilometres into the atmosphere have a much greater reach, and historically have destroyed entire ancient cities near Vesuvius with huge ash falls and pyroclastic flows. There is evidence of these flows on the external slopes of the volcano. Vesuvius is currently quiet, with only minor earthquake activity and out-gassing from fumaroles in its summit crater. It is very regularly monitored due to the size of population living close by and more violent activity could resume in the future. People choose to live and farm the area close by as the land is very fertile and produces high volumes of crops for the farmers.

• If Mount Vesuvius was to erupt in the near future the impact would be devastating due to the size of population that would be affected. Whilst they may be able to evacuate the area due to effective monitoring, the surrounding land and built areas could be destroyed and left uninhabitable for many many years to follow.

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