Geography of Italy: Mountains, Rivers, Climate, and Biodiversity

Introduction and physical geography

Italy is situated in southern central Europe and is considered a popular country in European Union. The exact location of Italy is that it occupies a peninsula, deep down the Mediterranean Sea. The place is known for possessing some mesmerizing scenic land spots. On the map of Italy, at the topmost position lies the Alps, which is considered to be the most rugged mountain in the world. Apart from this, there is Monte Rosa, which is also one of the highest points of Italy. Diversity lies in culture, cuisine, and dialect (Britannica.com, 2022). Arno and Tiber rivers have historical significance, as the ancient civilization started on these rivers. The capital city is Rome, where the visitors get to see the city's oldest church, monuments with architectural works. Mass media has altered the standards and lifestyle of the people of Rome.

Magnificent city, Venice is also mesmerizing for the visitors, especially boat rides through which they could travel from one place to other. Other cities are Milan, the fashion center, Genoa, and others. Reference could also be cited of the Roman Forum, which depicts exquisite beauty (Missiaia, p.145).

These architectures reflect mesmerizing literature, painting, and sculpting, which is worth seeing, enhancing the cultural heritage of Italy.

Lithosphere

The total area of Italy is 301, 230 square kilometers, among which 294,020 kilometers island and 7210 square kilometers is water. In the map projection, latitudes are 35 degrees and 48 degrees. Longitudes are 6 degrees and 19 degrees east. Apennine mountains in the topmost position of the map stretch from north to south, separating east and west coasts. The range covers most of the portions of Italy, that is, one-third of the country. According to the projections on the map, the boundary of Italy is between African and Eurasian plates. African plates divide the Eurasian plates, keeping Italy on the east side (Basch et al. p.900). Eurasian and African tectonic plates are 12 cm in their movement, evoking seismic activities in Europe as a whole. Microplate, Adria, complicates the movement of tectonic plates. Variety lies in the natural resources, which is evident in the availability of natural resources like coal, zinc, potash, marble, barite, pumice, asbestos, fluorspar, mercury, pyrite, natural gas, and crude oils. Landforms of Italy are mountains, volcanoes, beaches, and islands, adding glory to the scenic beauty of the country. The mountain ranges of the Alps, Dolomites, and Apennines in Italy have been formed from marine sedimentary rocks.

Lithosphere

Hydrosphere

The main rivers of Italy are River Tiber, Adige, Arno, Piave, Oglio, Adda, Tanaro, Brenta, Tagliamento, among others. Important lakes in Italy are Como, Garda, Maggiore, Orta, Lugano, Iseo, Pragser Wildsee, Bolsena, and others. These rivers are surrounded by the oceans, Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea (Magnoni et al, p.123).  Water footprints in Italy are the highest in Europe, which is recorded as 3012 cubic yards or 2303 cubic meters. Among the total water to be used for agricultural purposes, sourcing of 15% of the water is done from the non-renewable groundwater. The disadvantage of this is that it cannot be naturally replenished. The sourcing of 15% is twice as compared to that of Spain, and seven times as that of the water, draining the resources of Greece. Industrial and agricultural wastes have made the waters of rivers, lakes, and oceans in Italy polluted. The major cause of pollution is acid rain. It is striking to note that the cities in Italy produce 19.1 million tons of solid waste every year, which is a matter of serious concern in terms of maintaining ecological biodiversity. Water supply and sanitation are usually good in Italy, usually lower as compared to other European countries. Per day water consumption is 240 liters and per capita is 160 liters per day, which is higher as compared to Spain or France (Cagnazzo et al. p.28).

Atmosphere

Koppen Climate Classification Type climate of Italy is the Mediterranean, that is, CSA. Specifically, the climate is dry summer subtropical. The average temperature is above 10 degrees Celsius, which is 50-degree Fahrenheit in the warm months. The average temperate in the cold weather range between 18 degrees to minus 3 degree Celsius, which is 64-to-27-degree Fahrenheit. Summers are usually dry, which is one-third of the wettest winters. The precipitation in these months is recorded as less than 30mm (1.18 inches) (En.climate-data.org, 2022).

The temperature in Rome is warm and temperate, but in winters, there is more rainfall. The average temperature of Rome is recorded as 15.7 degrees Celsius, and the rainfall is recorded as 798 mm. however, the climate of Italy is characterized as mixed with variations in hot, dry summers, cool, and wet winters, which are enjoyed by the natives and the tourists. Among the seven climatic zones, Alpine zones have a continental mountain climate, with low temperatures and high rainfall in the eastern parts as compared to the west. Bardonecchia in the west of Italy has an average temperature of 45.3-degree Fahrenheit, that is, 7.4 de Celsius. The average rainfall here is 26 inches or 660 mm (En.climate-data.org, 2022). The Alps are mainly the protector of the north-westerly winds whole Alpennine has special variations in the climate.

Hydrosphere

Biosphere and soil 

One of the famous biospheres in Italy is Selve Costiere di Toscana, which is situated to the west of Pisa between Viareggio and Livorno in the Tuscany region, alongside the Mediterranean Sea. The reserve is popular, as it is rich in biodiversity. As a matter of specification, there are plain and semi-plain habitats, dunes, wetlands, mesophytic woodlands, pinewoods, all of which add to the glory of the agricultural zones (Andreetta et al. p.132). Hedges are there in these zones, which ensures the protection of the species and habitats. Some of the zones consist rarest of the species, which need considerable protection, otherwise, they could disappear. Plain woodlands are unique in extensive areas of the reserve. Livelihood is considerable in these reserves, as 11000 people reside here. This is not densely populated. The main occupation of the people residing here is fishing and agriculture. Agricultural methods used are organic agriculture, autochthonal breeding (En.unesco.org, 2022). The coastal dunes of the reserve are the main attraction among the tourists as it consists of flora, fauna living on sand. Symbiotic relationships of the wetlands ensure the protection of these species from the strong winds. These wetlands are elongated, enveloping the special and rare bird species. The soil of these wetlands and the ones used for viticulture is limestone clay soil, which yields good wine (Khan, and Tommaso, p.452). Potassium, phosphorus, and calcium enhance the soil quality, yielding quality fruits and crops.

Conclusion 

Italy is one of the mesmerizing countries of the world, exposing the visitors to some of the unique places like The Alps, which is one of the popular rugged mountains. River Tiber, Adige, Arno, Piave, Oglio, Adda, Tanaro, Brenta, Tagliamento, Lakes Como, Garda, Maggiore, Orta, Lugano, Iseo, Pragser Wildsee, Bolsena, Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea give the reminiscence of ancient civilizations. Cathedral churches in Rome add to the cultural heritage and pride. The architecture of these churches is exquisite in their beauty. The cities of Milan are the shopping centers and Venice provides the opportunity to do boat rides. Lithospheric projections are 301, 230 square kilometers, among which 294,020 kilometers are land, and 7210 square kilometers are water. The hydrosphere is enriched with numerous lakes, oceans, and rivers, which are worth seeing for tourists. Water pollution is one of the issues due to acid rain. Koppen Climate Classification Type is CSA, which is mostly dry and subtropical. Selve Costiere di Toscana biosphere reserve is a popular reserve that is not that densely populated, and the major occupations are fishing and agriculture. The soil of the wetlands is enriched in limestone clay and natural resources like coal, zinc, potash, marble, barite, pumice, asbestos, fluorspar, mercury, pyrite, natural gas, and crude oils. However, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium support harvesting quality crops.

References 

Andreetta, Anna, et al. "Soil-atmosphere interface: the impact of depositions on forest soils in Italy." Geophysical research abstracts. Vol. 21. 2019.

Basch, Valentin, et al. "Multi-stage reactive formation of troctolites in the slow-spreading oceanic lithosphere (Erro–Tobbio, Italy): a combined field and petrochemical study." Journal of Petrology 60.5 (2019): 873-906.

Britannica.com (2022). Italy. Retrieved 7^th Feb 2022 from https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy

Buccolieri, Riccardo, et al. "Characterization of urban greening in a district of Lecce (Southern Italy) for the analysis of CO2 storage and air pollutant dispersion." Atmosphere 11.9 (2020): 967.

Cagnazzo, Cosimo, et al. "Geostatistics and structure from motion techniques for coastal pollution assessment along the Policoro Coast (Southern Italy)." Geosciences 10.1 (2020): 28.

En.climate-data.org (2022). The climate of Italy, Europe. Retrieved 7^th Feb 2022 from https://en.climate-data.org/europe/italy-2/

En.unesco.org (2022). Selve Costiere di Toscana Biosphere reserve. Retrieved 7^th Feb 2022 from

https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/eu-na/selve-costiere-toscana

Khan, Md Zulfikar, and Tommaso Chiti. "Soil carbon stocks and dynamics of different land uses in Italy using the LUCAS soil database." Journal of environmental management 306 (2022): 114452.

Magnoni, Federica, et al. "Adjoint Tomography of the Italian Lithosphere." Communications Earth & Environment (2022).

Missiaia, Anna. "Market versus endowment: explaining early industrial location in Italy (1871–1911)." Cliometric 13.1 (2019): 127-161.