The Apennine peninsula. Specificity of nature and climate

Located in the south of Eurasia, the Apennine peninsula is washed by the waters of several seas: Ligurian and Tyrrhenian - in the west, Adriatic - in the east, Ionic - in the south. The area of the peninsula, which is 149 thousand square meters. Km, with Italy share the world's smallest state Vatican City and San Marino - the oldest republic in the world. The width of the Italian peninsula (Penisola italiana) is small: in the narrowest part of 130, at the widest - about 300 kilometers.

Along the whole length (about 1,1 thousand kilometers) the Apennine Peninsula is crossed by a mountain system that largely forms its relief: the middle mountains of the Apennines, hilly foothills, volcanic plateaus and narrow bands of hilly plains along the coasts. The Apennine mountains are not a serious obstacle to communication and have several long and easily accessible passes.

The thick forests that once covered the Padanskaya Plain and the Apennine Peninsula were exterminated for fuel and construction, and they were cut down to increase the area of agricultural land. Now the preserved and newly restored forest tracts occupy no more than 20% of the territory and are located mainly in mountainous areas and on hills. More often there are thickets of Mediterranean shrubs. Cultivated plants cultivate in the middle altitude zone - various crops and grapes, orange and lemon trees, almonds and fig trees.

Due to deforestation and cultivation of lands, the natural habitats of wild animals that had been living here had disappeared. At present, there is no need to speak about the great diversity of fauna on the Italian peninsula. In ancient times here there were excellent pastures, on which numerous herds were grazed. Thanks to them, the country that occupies almost the entire peninsula (Italy is a term that came from Greece and means "calf country") was named.

Since the Apennine peninsula is located in the zone of contact of lithospheric plates, earthquakes often occur here. High seismicity is not the only cause of unrest in the peninsula. No less disturbing are the volcanoes, especially Vesuvius - one of the most active volcanoes of the European part of the continent. The vast areas around it are covered with lava and covered with volcanic ash, reminiscent of a catastrophic eruption at the beginning of our era and the death of ancient cities. One of them - Pompeii - is partially liberated from the thickness of ash and turned into a world-famous museum-reserve.

The Apennine peninsula is distinguished by a variety of climatic conditions. The warm Mediterranean climate is typical only for a relatively narrow coastal strip, whereas in the mountainous regions the climate is cooler. The climate of the Italian Riviera is particularly gentle. The coast of the Ligurian Sea is protected from the cold north winds by mountains, so winters are rainy and warm here (the average temperature in January is +8 degrees), and snow and frost are extremely rare phenomena. In the summer, there is a lot of sun, but the heat on the seashore is not exhausted.