Southern Europe: Italy Buon Giorno! Chapter 12 / Section 2

Southern Europe:Italy

Buon Giorno!

Chapter 12 / Section 2

A boot kicking a football• Italy is a 750-mile long peninsula (the

Appenine Peninsula) & islands (Sicily & Sardinia)

• It is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea on three sides

- East: Adriatic Sea - South: Ionian Sea - West: Tyrrhenian Sea (They are bodies of water that are part of the

Mediterranean Sea.) - North: Monaco, France, Switzerland, Austria,

Slovenia

The Land

• Size: the states of FL & GA combined (113,351 sq mi.)

• Three types of landforms:

1) Mountains

2) Lowlands

3) Coasts

Italy from Space (Thanks NASA!)

1) Mountains

• Alps: they form a natural border b/w Italy and the countries of France, Switzerland, and Austria in the north

• Appennines: they run from the top of the peninsula to the “toe” of the boot (NW-SW direction) in the center of the country

- They turn into hills in Southern Italy• Volcanic mountains: close to 20

volcanoes, 3 of which are still active today

The Alps

The Appennines

The Southern Hills of the Appennines(Santa Luce)

Volcanic Mountains• Mount Etna (continuous eruptions): on the

island of Sicily• Stromboli (continuous eruptions): one of the

Aeolian Islands• Mount Vesuvius (last erupted in 1944):

near the city of Naples

- The only active volcano in mainland Europe

- In A.D. 79, it destroyed the cities of Pompei & Herculaneum, killing 10,000-25,000 people

Mount Etna

Mount Etna

Stromboli

Stromboli

Mount Vesuvius

The Crater of Mt. Vesuvius

Pompeii

Pompeii

2) Lowlands

• The largest & most important lowland is the Po River Valley in northern Italy

• Italy’s largest river, the Po River, cuts through it from the border of Switzerland all the way to the Adriatic Sea

Po River & Valley

Po River Valley from Space

Po River

Po River Plains

3) Coasts

The most famous coasts:

• Amalfi Coast

• Italian Riviera

Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast

Italian Riviera

Italian Riviera

Italian Riviera

The Climate3 types of climate (from N to S):

1) Highland: in the Alps = cold & cool temperatures year-round due to the high elevation (timberline & snowcaps!)

2) Humid subtropical: in the Po River Valley = hot, humid summers w/ plenty of rain & short, mild winters

3) Mediterranean: in the rest of Italy, including the islands of Sicily & Sardinia = hot, dry summers (sirocco!) & mild, rainy winters

Siroccos

• Hot, dry winds blowing from North Africa in the spring & the summer

• Cool, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean replaces the siroccos in the fall & the winter (they bring rain to Italy)

Sirocco Winds

The Economy

• Wealthy Southern European country

• Its wealth is unevenly distributed b/w the industrialized, urban North & agricultural, rural South

The Prosperous North1) Agriculture: • In the fertile Po River Valley: wheat, corn, rice,

sugar beet• In the hills of N. Italy: wine grapes2) Industry:• Hydroelectric power from the Alps & natural

gas in the Po River Valley • Manufacturing of cars, machinery, chemical,

clothing, & leather in Turin & Milan3) Trade: in the port city of Genoa4) Banking

Farms in the Po River Valley

Italian Vineyards

FIAT

Milan Fashion Week

The Developing South

1) Raising livestock: dry, rugged landscape used for pastureland grazing livestock

2) Agriculture: volcanic & clay soil used for growing citrus fruits, olives, & grapes

3) Tourism

Pastureland in Southern Italy

Citrus & Olive Farms in S. Italy

Tourists on Mt. Etna

The People

• Capital: Rome• Population: 59.8 million People only live on 25% of the land Reasons: mountains & migration to Northern

cities• Language: Italian• Religion: Roman Catholic• Type of Government: parliamentary democracy• Largest cities: Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo,

Genoa, Bologna, Florence

The Flag of Italy

Rome

The Coliseum

Vatican City, a.k.a. the Holy See

St. Peter’s Basilica

St Peter’s Square

Italy’s Heritage• The Roman Empire was the heart of Western

Civilization from 31 B.C. until its collapse in 476 A.D.

• Then, Italy was divided into city-states: independent cities w/ the surrounding countryside

• City-states developed during the Renaissance (14th through 16th centuries) & spread Italian scientific & cultural achievements abroad

• City-states were unified into an independent country (Italy) by Giuseppe Garibaldi & Victor Emmanuel II. in 1861

Modern Italy• Dictator Benito Mussolini ruled Italy from

1922-1945

• Mussolini supported Adolf Hitler & pushed Italy into World War II (Italy was defeated)

• Italy became a parliamentary democracy in 1946

• Unstable democracy w/ many-many changes of government

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

Roman Roads

Roman Aqueducts

Italian Pasta Dishes

The End

Ciao!