...8 ft and Monte Rosa, hich rises to its highest point 4634 m 15,203 ft in Sitzerland just est of the border. The highest point in Italy is near the summit of Mont Blanc Monte Bianco, on the border of Italy, France, and Sitzerland the peak, located in France, is 4807 m 15,771 ft. Beteen the Alps and the Apennines, hich form the backbone of the Italian Peninsula, spreads the broad Plain of Lombardy, comprising the valley of the Po River. The northern Apennines project from the Maritime Alps along the Gulf of Genoa to the sources of the Tiber River. Monte Cimone 2163 m7097 ft is the highest summit of the northern Apennines. The central Apennines, beginning at the source of the Tiber, consist of several chains. In the eastern portion of this rugged mountain district is Monte Corno 2912 m 9554 ft, the highest Apennine peak. The southern Apennines stretch southeast from the valley of the Sangro River to the coast of the Gulf of Taranto, here they assume a more southerly direction. High peaks of the Apennine ranges of the Calabrian Peninsula, as the southern extremity of the Italian Peninsula is knon, include Botte Donato 1929 m6329 ft and Montalto 1957 m6422 ft. The Apennines form the atershed of the Italian Peninsula. The main uplifts are bordered by less elevated districts, knon collectively as the sub-Apennine region.Only about one-third of the total land surface of Italy is made of plains, of hich the greatest single tract is the Plain of Lombardy. The coast of Italy along the northern Adriatic Sea is lo and sandy, bordered by shallo aters and, except at Venice, not readily accessible to oceangoing vessels. From a point near Rimini southard, the eastern coast of the peninsula is fringed by spurs of the Apennines. Along the middle of the estern coast, hoever, are three stretches of lo and marshy land, the Campagna di Roma, the Pontine Marshes, and the Maremma.The estern coast of Italy is broken up by bays, gulfs, and other indentations, hich provide a number of natural anchorages. In the northest is the Gulf of Genoa, the harbor of the important commercial city of Genoa. Naples, another leading estern coast port, is situated on the beautiful Bay of Naples, dominated by the volcano Mount Vesuvius. A little farther south is the Gulf of Salerno, at the head of hich stands the port of Salerno. The southeastern end of the peninsula is deeply indented by the Gulf of Taranto, hich divides the so-called heel of Italy ancient Calabria from the toe modern Calabria. The Apennine range continues beneath the narro Strait of Messina and traverses the island of Sicily, here the volcano Mount Etna, 3323 m 10,902 ft high, is located. Another active volcano rises on Stromboli, one of the Lipari Islands Isole Eolie, northest of the Strait of Messina. In addition to volcanic activity, Italy is also plagued by frequent minor earthquakes, especially in the southern regions.Rivers and Lakes Italy has many rivers, of hich the Po and the Adige are the most important. The Po, 652 km 405 mi long, is navigable for about 480 km about 300 mi and ith its tributaries affords about 970 km about 600 mi of inland aterays. The Adige, 410 km 255 mi long, enters Italy from the Austrian province of Tirol Tyrol, flos east, and, like the Po, empties into the Adriatic. The beds of these rivers are sloly being elevated by alluvial deposits from the mountains.The rivers of the Italian Peninsula are shallo, often dry during the summer season, and consequently of little importance for navigation or industry. The chief peninsular rivers are the Arno and the Tiber. From its sources in the Apennines, the Arno flos est for about 240 km about 150 mi, through a ell-cultivated valley and the cities of Florence and Pisa. The Tiber rises not far from the sources of the Arno and runs through the city of Rome. Both the northern and peninsular regions of Italy have numerous lakes. The principal lakes of northern Italy are Garda, Maggiore, Como, and Lugano the peninsular lakes, hich are considerably smaller, include Trasimeno, Bolsena, and Bracciano.Natural Resources Italy is poor in natural resources, much of the land being unsuitable for agriculture due to mountainous terrain or unfavorable climate. Italy, moreover, is seriously deficient in such basic natural resources as coal. The most important mineral resources are natural gas, petroleum, lignite, sulfur, and pyrites. Other mineral deposits include lead, manganese, zinc, mercury, and bauxite. Many of these deposits are on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Hoever, they had been heavily depleted by the early 1990s. Italy is rich in various types of building stone, notably marble. The coastal aters of Italy teem ith fishes, of hich sardine, tuna, and anchovy have the greatest commercial importance. Freshater fishes include eels and trout.Plants and Animals The flora of the central and southern lolands of Italy is typically Mediterranean. Among the characteristic vegetation of these regions are such trees 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 groths of chestnut, cypress, and oak trees occupy the loer slopes, and at higher elevations, there are extensive stands of pine and fir.Italy has feer varieties of animals than are found generally in comparable areas of Europe. Small numbers of marmot, chamois, and ibex live in the Alps. The bear, numerous in ancient times, is no virtually extinct, but the olf and ild boar still flourish in the mountain regions. Another fairly common quadruped is the fox. Among the predatory species of bird are the eagle hak, vulture, buzzard, falcon, and kite, confined for the most part to the mountains. The quail, oodcock, 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.iAFGXY23!I!iIIIIIIIIIIIBCJ OJaQJaaJ ph5BOJaQJataJ phCJ6BCJOJaQJasaJphBCJOJaQJaaJph5BCJOJaQJataJph G3!I!aad78HsaaI! 1h à!ia8i8NormalCJsHaJmHsHtHAiDefault Paragraph FontIG3i0i0i0i0i0i0i00I!I!I!aDVDEtioitreferate modificatetreferatetenglezatENG3tItaly.dociaaIPiUn
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