Italy is probably one of the most easily recognized countries on a map characterized by it’s distinct boot shaped penninsula. it is lcoated in southern Europe and bordered in the North by France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Italy is also bordered by the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean Seas.

Italian geography boasts an extremely varied terrain. It is home to two well-known mountain regions, The Alps and The Appenine Range, the latter hosting several active volcanoes such as Vesuvius near Naples. Including its islands, Sicily and Sardenia, Italy has over 4,700 miles of coastline, more than five times that of California. Sicily and Sardenia are the largest islands in the Mediterranean. About a quarter of the Italian landscape is made up of plains in the valley of the Po River, a vital element in the irrigiation of the agriculture of this fertile land.