Geography & environment — Italy
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Italy: Europe
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Europe
- Geographic Coordinates
42 50 N, 12 50 E
- Total Area
116,347 Square Miles 301,340 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
113,567 Square Miles 294,140 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
2,780 Square Miles 7,200 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
1,180 Miles 1,899 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km
- Coastline
4,722 Miles 7,600 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
Mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
- Highest Point
4,748 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)
- Lowest Point Location
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
- Natural Resources
Coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land
- Irrigated Land
15,255 Square Miles 39,510 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate
- Climate
Italy's climate is generally pleasant. Although summer temperatures can rise into the mid-90s with high humidity, evenings are considerably cooler, allowing people to take to the streets and squares. In the winter, nighttime temperatures often drop to freezing, but snowfall outside the mountains is rare. In all seasons, the south tends to be warmer and drier than the north.
- Terrain
Mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
- Location
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
- Total Area
116,347 Square Miles 301,340 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
Air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide
coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents
acid rain damaging lakes
inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
- Environment - International Agreements
Party To: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements