Italy

C

Natural Resources

Italy is poor in natural resources. Much of the land is unsuitable for agriculture because of mountainous terrain or unfavorable climate. Italy, moreover, lacks substantial deposits of basic natural resources such as coal, iron, and petroleum. Natural gas is the country’s most important mineral resource. Other deposits include feldspar and pumice. Many of Italy’s mineral deposits on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia had been heavily depleted by the early 1990s. Italy is rich in various types of building stone, notably marble. Despite Italy’s long coastline, its commercial fishing catch is small; anchovy, mussels, and clams have the greatest commercial importance.

D

Plants and Animals

The plants of the central and southern lowlands of Italy are typically Mediterranean. Among the characteristic vegetation of these regions are trees such as the olive, orange, lemon, palm, and citron. Other common types, especially in the extreme south, are fig, date, pomegranate, and almond trees, and sugarcane and cotton. The vegetation of the Apennines closely resembles that of central Europe. Dense growths of chestnut, cypress, and oak trees occupy the lower slopes, and at higher elevations, there are extensive stands of pine and fir.

Because people have inhabited Italy for so many centuries and the country is so densely populated, few wild animals remain. Italy has fewer varieties of animals than are found generally in Europe. Small numbers of marmot, chamois, and ibex live in the Alps. The bear, numerous in ancient times, is now virtually extinct, but the wolf and wild boar still flourish in the mountain regions. Another fairly common quadruped is the fox. Among the predatory species of bird are the eagle, hawk, vulture, buzzard, falcon, and kite, confined for the most part to the mountains. The quail, woodcock, partridge, and various migratory species abound in many parts of Italy. Reptiles include several species of lizards and snakes and three species of the poisonous viper family. Scorpions are also found.

E

Environmental Issues

Industrial and urban pollution is a major concern in Italy. Sulfur dioxide emissions that have been linked with health problems and damage to buildings have decreased since 1970, but progress in cleaning the air has been slower than in other European countries. Nitrogen oxide emissions are still on the rise, however, linked with continued growth of the transportation sector. Electric cars are becoming a popular solution to air-quality problems in urban areas. Air pollution has also damaged Italy’s forests. Levels of water pollution from farm chemicals and human waste are high in some rivers and in the Adriatic Sea. Extreme levels in the late 1980s caused widespread eutrophication (oxygen depletion) of the marine environment in this region, and the government declared an emergency.

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Nature conservation has been practiced in Italy since Roman times. There are currently five national parks, each independently administered. In addition, there are many other types of smaller protected areas. The lack of a national system of protected areas with centralized administration has impeded efforts to create new preserves and to legally protect existing ones. The government provides incentives for forest preservation and tree planting. About 22.1 percent of the country was forested in 1995, of which 42 percent was managed for tree harvest and only one-quarter was mature forest. A significant proportion of forests is under private management. Forest biomass has increased in recent years due to a decline in human encroachment on mountain habitats. Since the early 1980s Italy has had fairly comprehensive laws and guidelines protecting the sea and coastlines, although enforcement and implementation have been irregular.

Italy has ratified numerous international environmental agreements, including the World Heritage Convention and agreements concerning air pollution, biodiversity, climate change, endangered species, hazardous wastes, marine dumping, the ozone layer, ship pollution, tropical timber, wetlands, and whaling. Regionally, Italy is party to the European Wild Birds Directive and the Council of Europe (CE), under which dozens of biogenetic reserves have been designated. Ten specially protected marine areas exist in Italy under the Mediterranean Action Plan. Several transborder parks have been established with France and Switzerland.

III

People of Italy

The Italian population consists almost entirely of native-born people, many of whom identify themselves closely with a particular region of Italy. The country can be generally divided into the more urban north (the area from the northern border to the southern part of Rome) and the mostly rural south (everything below this line). The more prosperous, industrialized north contains most of Italy’s larger cities and about two-thirds of the country’s population; the primarily agricultural south has a smaller population base and a more limited economy. In recent decades the population has generally migrated from rural to urban areas; the population was 68 percent urban in 2005.

The overwhelming majority of the people speak Italian (see Italian Language), one of the Romance languages of the Indo-European family of languages (see Italic Languages). German is spoken around Bolzano, in the north near the Austrian border. Other minority languages include French (spoken in the Valle d’Aosta region), Ladin, Albanian, and Slovenian. Regional dialects are spoken in some parts of Italy.

According to the 2001 census, Italy had a population of 56,995,744. The 2007 estimated population is 58,147,733, giving the country an average population density of 198 persons per sq km (about 512 per sq mi). About two-thirds of Italy’s people live in towns and cities.

A

Principal Regions and Their Cities

Italy is made up of many distinct regions. Piedmont, in the northwest, consists of the country’s highest alpine peaks and a fertile plain. Its mountains and valleys attract tourists. In the districts around Vercelli and Novara the rivers are used to irrigate rice paddies. They also furnish energy for the vast industrial network of the plains below. Turin, the principal city of the region, has a population estimated at 902,255. In the 19th century it was the home of the political group that struggled to free Italy from foreign control and to unify it into one nation. Turin also played a major role in the economic rebirth of Italy following World War II. As the headquarters of Fiat, it leads Italy in automobile manufacturing.

Liguria occupies a narrow strip of coastline from the French border to Tuscany. Its leading city, Genoa (population 605,084) remains the most important port of Italy and a major commercial and banking center. Beyond the city’s busy suburbs lies the Italian Riviera, which is blessed with a mild, sunny climate, pleasant beaches, and a profusion of exotic plants and flowers.

Lombardy combines scenic beauty with bustling industrial activity. The lake region, with Lake Como, Lake Garda, Lake Maggiore, and Lake Lugano, has become a thriving tourist center. Milan, with a population of 1,299,439, is the second largest city in Italy, after Rome. It is the country’s industrial and financial heart as well as a center of design and fashion. The Italian opera house La Scala is in Milan as is Leonardo da Vinci’s celebrated mural, The Last Supper.

Veneto stretches from the Po River to Trieste. Curving along the Adriatic in an arc, it is for the most part a fertile plain, with lively cities and agricultural and industrial centers. At the center of the arc, situated on more than 100 islets, lies Venice (population 271,251). Venice was for many centuries the gateway between East and West and is world-famous for its art treasures. Other cities of Veneto include Verona, an agricultural and industrial center; Padua, with an ancient university and art treasures; and Trieste, built like an amphitheater around a bay, an important port for the commerce of the landlocked countries of central Europe.

Trentino-Alto Adige is a mountainous region in northern Italy where farming and forestry are important and tourism, especially skiing and hiking in the Dolomites, is a major source of income. Situated along the Austrian border, this is the least Italian region in Italy, and Alto Adige is also known by its German name of Südtirol (South Tyrol). The region’s chief cities are Trento and Bolzano.

Emilia-Romagna lies across the Po River from Veneto and Lombardy, stretching from the crest of the Apennines to the Adriatic. An area of rich farmlands, the region also takes pride in its ancient towns. Bologna is the seat of Europe’s oldest university. Ravenna and Rimini, on the shores of the Adriatic, are popular seaside resorts.

Tuscany lies in the part of the Apennine chain where the mountains rise gently from fertile valleys and plains. Olive trees and grapevines cover the slopes. Florence is the artistic heart of Tuscany, but Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, and many smaller towns also are centers of Tuscan art and architecture. The towns and cities of Tuscany retain many of their buildings from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Umbria, in the heart of the Italian peninsula, displays rolling hills, woods, silver olive trees, and green plains. It is perhaps best known as the land of Saint Francis of Assisi. The town of Assisi is a shrine to Saint Francis and is noted for its treasures of Italian medieval art. Perugia, an agricultural and trade center, is also an important city in Umbria. Near Perugia are ancient Etruscan tombs, and within the city are remnants of walls that date from Etruscan and Roman times.

Latium, or Lazio, is a hilly and mountainous region on the shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea at the foot of the Apennines. The most important city of the region is Rome, with a population, 2005 estimate, of 2,553,873. The ancient capital of the Roman Empire, it remains the capital of modern Italy and is today a commercial, administrative, cultural, and tourist center of great importance. Vatican City, an independent sovereign state, lies within the city limits of Rome.

Between central and southern Italy lie the regions of Abruzzi and Molise, in the most mountainous and inaccessible part of the peninsula. The land is largely used for farming and for grazing livestock. The regional capital of Abruzzi is L’Aquila and of Molise, Campobasso.

Campania, which is also mountainous, includes a small fertile plain near the sea. At the center of the plain is the Bay of Naples, with its famed city and islands, including Capri and Ischia. Naples (population, (995,171) has one of the country’s busiest ports. Nearby are the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Beyond the Sorrento peninsula to the south stretches the Amalfi Coast with its breathtaking scenery.

Apulia, Basilicata, and Calabria lie south of Campania, forming the heel and toe of Italy’s boot. Apulia, after centuries of isolation and stagnation, developed its agricultural and industrial base and is known today for its wines and olive oils. Bari (population, 328,458) is Apulia’s major city. In Basilicata and Calabria, too, ambitious development plans have transformed the landscape.

Sicily is one of the most beautiful lands of the Mediterranean region. Its archaeological treasures, especially its ancient Greek temples, are especially fine. Vegetation covers most of the coast, although the southern coast is barren and arid. Mount Etna, near the northeastern coast, is one of the largest volcanoes in the world. The coastal area has many resorts, of which the most famous is Taormina. Palermo (population, 675,084) is the capital of the island and its chief port. Catania (population, 305,773), the second city, is important for its commerce and industry. It lies at the base of Mount Etna.

Sardinia, in very ancient times, had a curious civilization, of which there is still evidence in Stone Age and Bronze Age houses shaped like truncated cones and in rock tombs and funeral monuments. Cagliari is the largest town and principal port on the island. The beautiful Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast), along Sardinia’s northeastern shore, has become popular with wealthy, international jet-setters.

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