Italy is a state located in Southern Europe and has extensive access to the Mediterranean Sea. Italy's neighbors are six European countries, which will be discussed in this article.
Where is Italy?
Before answering the question of what kind of neighbors Italy has, you should find out where this country is located. And for this you need to carefully study the geographical map of Europe.
The modern state of Italy appeared not so long ago: in the last century. However, it can be considered one of the successors of the Roman Empire, which once existed on Earth. Today, the country occupies a rather large (by European standards) area - 301 thousand km2. By the way, many of Italy's neighbors, alas, cannot boast of such a size of their territory.
Italy is located in the southern part of Europe, in the Mediterranean basin. It occupies the entire Apennine Peninsula, and also includes a fairly large number of small islands. Part of the country is occupied by the Padana lowland, and its extreme north is occupied by the southern spurs of the Alps. It is in Italy that the highest point of the European Union is located - the Mont Blanc peak (4810meters).
Which countries are Italy's neighbors?
Despite the fact that about 80% of Italy's state border runs along the Mediterranean Sea, the country also has land neighbors. There are six in total.
So, Italy's immediate neighbors are France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, as well as San Marino and the Vatican. All these countries have a fairly high standard of living. And with everyone, Italy is trying to maintain good neighborly relations.
Countries-neighbors of Italy of the second order (those states that do not have common borders with it): Monaco, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia.
The longest common border between Italy and Switzerland (almost 740 km), and the shortest - with the Vatican (only 3.2 kilometers).
Features of the geographical location of Italy: pros and cons
The geographical position of a country can have both positive and negative sides. Both of them significantly influence the economic well-being of the state and its foreign policy.
The positive features of the geographical location of Italy include the following points:
- the country has access to the Mediterranean basin (almost 80% of its borders are sea);
- located in two favorable climatic zones - temperate and subtropical;
- located at the intersection of the most important sea and land transport corridors;
- all neighboring countries of Italy are highly developed countries.
Perhaps the only disadvantage of Italy's geographical position is the fact that the country is too elongated in the submeridional direction (from north to south) and does not have a compact configuration.
Vatican and San Marino are Italy's most unusual neighbors
In geography, there is such a thing as an "enclave" - a state that is surrounded by the territory of another country from all four corners of the world. And Italy borders on two such states - the Vatican and San Marino.
Vatican is the center of Catholicism on the planet. It is the only theocratic monarchy on the political map of the world. It is here that the Cathedral of St. Peter and the residence of the Pope is located. And the Vatican is the only country in the world where Latin is the official language.
San Marino is another unusual neighbor of Italy. This is one of the oldest states in Europe, which today occupies a very tiny area. Nevertheless, San Marino has a huge number of architectural and historical attractions. It is hard to believe that nine ancient fortresses have been preserved here, in a small area of 60 square kilometers.
In conclusion…
The Republic of Italy is located in the south of Europe and has a wide outlet to the Mediterranean Sea. It borders six independent states (France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, the Vatican and San Marino). The leadership of the republic maintains warm and friendly relations with all these countries.
General geographical locationItaly can be assessed as beneficial. The country has free access to the World Ocean, is in favorable climatic conditions for agriculture. Another advantage is that all of Italy's neighbors are economically developed and prosperous states.
