Detailing Italy's Geography and Climate! Click on link for more info!

Introduction

Italy is a beautiful country. The weather in the winter is frigid, while the summer weather is hot and sunny. Also, the geography of Italy is breathtaking. One of the major chains of mountains, the alps, expands across Italy. In this blog, we will go in depth on Italy's climate and Italy's geography.   

Italy's Climate

Italy's climate varies depending on if you are located in northern, middle, or southern Italy. Northern Italy where the Alps are have harsh winters, and very hot and humid summers. In central Italy, the winter and summer climates are milder. The winters are shorter and the summers are longer. In southern Italy, winters are mild, and the Spring and Fall seasons have summer weather. The summers are hot and mild. Italy has a Mediterranean climate. Link below is a quick video on Italy's climate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkUprw6qGpM

Italy's Geographic History

Italy, around 100 million years ago, was underneath water. Italy's underwater land had volcanoes and mountains that are still there today. The mountains are called the Apennines. We know that Italy was underwater because on the bottom of the mountains, there is limestone and sediments from the ocean floor. Eventually Italy was pushed up to the surface above sea level. Since the mountains were deep underwater, they were not affected by waves or other causes that could have affected the way the mountains looked.

  

Italy During the Ice ages of the Pleistocene Epoch

Italy during the Pleistocene had a large ice sheet covering it along with most of Europe. When the start of the Pleistocene Epoch happened, this is when the countries and continents moved into the place that they are now. As the ice age melted, the sea level rose, especially around Italy's coast line. The mountains of Italy were frozen solid. The glaciers would refreeze and re-thaw for many years at a time. Sea levels were around 110 meters lower than the sea levels are today.

Sources

Italy's geologic history becomes a personal tale in Walter Alvarez's new book.” Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and Technology, phys.org/news/2008-12-italy-geologic-history-personal-tale.html.

russellwailes1. “The Climate and Weather Report from Italy.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 July 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkUprw6qGpM

The climate in Italy.” Italian Tourism Official Website, 29 July 2016, www.italia.it/en/useful-info/the-climate-in-italy.html.

Prigg, Mark. “How the world looked during the last ice age: The incredible map that reveals just how much our planet has changed in 14,000 years.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 16 May 2014, www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2630738/How-world-looked-ice-age-The-incredible-map-reveals-just-planet-changed-14-000-years.html.

Shocking Facts About Italy's Population, Culture, and Physiography!

Population

Italy has always been a populated country. As of today, Italy has around 59,341,625 people living in the country. This may seem like a lot of people, but Italy is only made up of around .79% of the world's population. As how it ranks, Italy is the 23rd most populated country in the world.

As you can see from this graph, the population of Italy has increased since the 1960s, but has seen a decline in population since 2010. This is because ever since he baby boom era, there has been a decrease of women becoming pregnant and giving birth.

This graph is able to estimate the future population of Italy. As you can see, the population is estimated to decrease in the next 30-40 years.

Culture

Being Italian, I have come to know the Italian culture really well. First off, the most important thing is family. This is because a family bond is priceless. Family represents loyalty, respect, and love.

In Italy, the language primarily spoken is..... as you guessed it, Italian. In Italy, there are many parts that speak different dialects of Italian. There is Sicilian, Neapolitan, Ligurian, and many more. 

Italy is also a very religious country. The predominant religion in Italy is Catholicism, followed by Christianity. Italy is the home of Vatican City, and Vatican City is where the Pope resides. Catholics and Christians respect, and pray with the Pope. To be able to see the Pope one day is a dream of mine. 

                                                            

Another important part of Italy's culture is food. Italy is famous for their wine, their cheese, and their pasta. If you have never had a homemade Italian pasta dish, I suggest you do so! Nothing hits the spot like grandma's Sunday lasagna! 

Physiography

Italy is a peninsula that is in the shape of a boot. Italy has a lot of plain valleys, one in particular being the Po Valley. Italy also has two large mountain chains. These mountains are called the Alps and the Apennines. Italy is also next to the Mediterranean Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Here is a quick interesting video about the geography of Italy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQeAzksqJKQ

Work Cited

Italy Population (LIVE).” Italy Population (2017, 2018) - Worldometers, www.worldometers.info/world-population/italy-population/.

Zimmermann, Kim Ann. “Italian Culture: Facts, Customs & Traditions.” LiveScience, Purch, 13 Sept. 2017, www.livescience.com/44376-italian-culture.html

Kitchen, CHOW Test. “Easy Lasagna Recipe.” Chowhound, Chowhound, 16 July 2017, www.chowhound.com/recipes/easy-spinach-lasagna-30277.

Geographic map Italy.” Geography of Italy - the Alps, Apennine, the two seas, www.zainoo.com/en/italy/geography.

Amalfi town on Mediterranean Sea, Naples, Italy.” GlobePhotos royalty free stock images, www.globe-photo.com/?product=amalfi-town-on-mediterranean-sea-naples-italy.

Newman, Liz. “12 Incredible Places in the Italian Alps Almost Too Beautiful to Be Real.” Thrillist, Thrillist, 16 Mar. 2017, www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/things-to-do-italian-alps-mountains.

MrMasters256. “The Geography of Italy.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Mar. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQeAzksqJKQ.