All the neighbors of Italy. Features of the geographical location of the country

Italy is a country located in Southern Europe and has an extensive access to the Mediterranean. The neighbors of Italy are six European countries, which will be discussed in this article.

Where is Italy?

Before answering the question, which neighbors in Italy, you should find out where this country is located. And for this it is necessary 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, once existing on Earth. Today, the country occupies a rather large (by European standards) area - 301 thousand km ² . By the way, many of Italy's neighbors, alas, can not boast of such a size of their territory.

Italy is located in the southern part of Europe, in the Mediterranean basin. It occupies the whole of the Apennine peninsula, and also includes a fairly large number of shallow islands. Part of the country is occupied by the Padan lowland, and its extreme north by the southern spurs of the Alps. It is in Italy is the highest point of the European Union - the peak of Mont Blanc (4810 meters).

Which countries are Italy's neighbors?

Despite the fact that about 80% of the state border of Italy passes through the Mediterranean Sea, the country also has land neighbors. There are six in total.

So, the immediate neighbors of Italy are France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, as well as San Marino and the Vatican. All these states have a fairly high standard of living. And with all, Italy is trying to maintain good-neighborly relations.

The country -neighbors of Italy are 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 km).

Features of the geographical position of Italy: the pros and cons

The geographical position of a country can have both positive and negative sides. Both these and others significantly affect the economic well-being of the state and its foreign policy.

To the positive features of the geographical position of Italy include the following items:

• The country has access to the Mediterranean basin (almost 80% of its maritime borders);
• Is located in two favorable climatic zones - temperate and subtropical;
• Is located at the intersection of the most important sea and land transport corridors;
• All the neighboring countries of Italy are highly developed states.

Perhaps the only drawback of Italy's geographical position can be called the fact that the country is too elongated in the submeridional direction (from north to south) and does not have a compact configuration.

The 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 on all four corners by the territory of another country. And Italy borders on two such states - the Vatican and San Marino.

The Vatican is the center of Catholicism on the planet. This is the only theocratic monarchy on the political map of the world. It is here that St. Peter's Cathedral and the residence of the Pope are 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 small area. Nevertheless, in San Marino is a huge number of architectural and historical attractions. It is difficult to believe that here, in a small area of 60 square kilometers, there are nine ancient fortresses preserved.

Finally...

The Republic of Italy is located in the south of Europe and has a wide access to the Mediterranean. It is bordered by six independent states (France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, the Vatican and San Marino). With all these countries, the leadership of the Republic maintains warm and friendly relations.

In general, the geographical position of Italy can be assessed as profitable. 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.